#tftrs

The seekers. As stated before, these are the thorns in the reaper's side. They search and create potential feasting spots for the Banished, making them look like fluke accidents or natural disasters in order to throw their foes off the scent a little, while they buy a small window of time to fill their boots and gorge on souls.

You'd think that something created by the Banished wouldn't be picked up by the reapers but trust me it does. 

You've heard of the Norns, right?

Well in case you haven't, the Norns are 3 deities in Norse mythology who personify the past, present and future. They shape the course of all human destinies and are usually depicted as being three women. Are they witches? No. Are they Goddesses? Technically no. Are they the same as what is depicted in Norse mythology? Nope.The Norns are those who get premonitions, they dream of events happening months before they do, sometimes even years. As with reapers, there are more than three Norns, in fact there are thousands of them, each one able to see an event happen, be it major or minor. 

So, how do the reapers know? Let's say gods send notes by crow. I’m not joking, crows visit reapers with notes. They are notes written by those who possess the ability to see the future and since crows over see everything, it makes some sort of sense. Now it works  like this: Norn has a premonition, they are then visited by a crow who gets ants in its feathery pants and pesters for a note, it’ll prompt by chucking a pen and hopping around some paper. The norn writes the dream down and hands it to the crow, who then delivers it to a reaper. Yes it’s old fashioned but oddly enough it’s more discreet and a heck of alot more safer. The reapers will never know who the norns are until their paths naturally cross. It’s a good thing in hindsight, makes it harder for The Banished to pinpoint them and exploit them.

A big event is assessed by how many of the norns have the same dream and pass on the same or similar note to the reapers. So things like wars, death of a monarch, assassinations of presidents, terrorism, all the things that would make world news, The reapers would have been given a headstart and the Banished HATED the fact they always knew before them. So the seekers would try to create their own problems, hoping that the Norns wouldn’t see or that the reapers wouldn’t see it as being an issue, but they were wrong. Even small events were investigated by a small team of reapers, so obviously when there was a small window of opportunity, the seekers were going to take it.

They tried it on the regular and every time they ended up getting left frustrated by the reapers. The most damage they created, probably made the local papers or appeared on the local news but lately, things were starting to go awry, they were starting to have a bigger impact on things and it started with the blackouts in New York. From that point on there were air accidents that resulted in huge numbers of loss of life,  a few so-called natural disasters, one of which was a dam that collapsed and a few terrorist attacks scattered across the globe. These were things the reapers could cope with but Lee couldn’t help but shake the feeling that it was leading up to something more.

His reason behind this, a nuclear power plant in Ukraine. It was built in 1977, after the blackouts in New York, September to be precise and since its official opening a year later, the Norns have been picking up on little hiccups associated with it. Minor hiccups to start with,  nothing life threatening to be concerned about but they were frequent and seemed to happen around the vulnerable spots, like the reactors or the cooling systems designed to help with the smooth delivery of power.

Most reapers brushed these off as Red flags, muttering that it was because the build was rushed and it was nothing unusual for the region, but Lee couldn't shake the feeling there was something more sinister going on, a theory he shared with Felix and Puma and oddly enough, they too thought the same. September 1982 was the first big sign they got that something was amiss, a partial meltdown occurred in reactor number one, the cause being a faulty cooling valve that failed to open, it resulted in a Uranium tank overheating and rupturing, leaking all kinds of toxins into the atmosphere. Of course it was kept secret so as not to unsettle the public but it didn’t stop reapers within the local area checking things out and what they found was unsettling.

Signs that small pockets of the banished were within the surrounding areas,  discarded bodies that had the souls sucked from them, bodies of workers that work at the power plant and were either making their way to work or in the middle of a shift. The Banished were systematically reducing the workforce to make accidents and mishaps a regular occurrence within the plant, planting the seed of fear into the hearts of the locals, even if the accidents and the hiccups were being covered up by the government.

Surveillance was needed and discussions with the reapers within the area were had. Groups of 4 reapers would take shifts, observing the area at different times of the day. During the day, the reapers noticed that the banished stayed away, kept themselves hidden and waited for the dark, knowing that was the time they worked best within. The reapers that were on during that time were obviously busy firefighting, trying to spare the victims that the Banished picked out, ninety percent of them worked for the power plant.

Yet during the day, one group of reapers noticed something a little obscure, something they saw every day. A man, over six feet tall, black hair, one side of the head shaved with the other side long and combed to one side. He was lean, always wearing sunglasses and a red silk suit. He walked around the area every day, no matter the weather. Just casually walking around and following a few of the workers to and from the plant. He stuck out like a sore thumb.

So naturally the next step was to see what he was up to, what people he was monitoring and if those were the ones that wound up being a snack for the banished. The reapers kept out of sight, making sure they were not spotted by this strange man but most of them got a strange sense about him, the feeling he knew they were there, the feeling that this man was someone or something to be concerned about, his sudden appearance made their blood turn cold, sent a shiver down their spine. They described it as him having alpha energy but what he was, they didn’t know, until one night they noticed something, something that unsettled them, something they heard happen before.

It was information that was relayed back to Lee and when pressed on the matter, his answer was to not engage In combat with this person as he sensed they were dangerous for small groups of reapers to encounter. Deep down he sensed he knew this person and he was doing everything and anything to avoid a combative situation with them.

This observation went on for over a year before Felix felt confident enough to touch on the subject. He waited to send Adder away on an errand to get parts for the charger before asking the question that was on everyone's lips.

"Why not take this man down?"

Lee was cooking dinner at that point, cutting up chicken with a cleaver before the question halted him mid cut.

"Because this man, I believe, is the man to dread. The man that didn't flinch when Adder lost control and went for him" Lee replied as he slowly looked at Felix

“Worse than Polar?” Felix asked carefully

“I can’t say…..but the potential is there. Felix we can’t let Adder cross this man's path, Adder sees him and there is no telling what the beast within him will do” Lee replied  before he returned to preparing the chicken.

“I hate to say this Lee… But by the sounds of what I am hearing, the beast might be the only thing to stop them” Felix suggested, knowing the mere thought would cause Lee to pause.

“That is not a risk I am willing to take,” Lee answered firmly before continuing to prepare the meal “I’m not losing him like I lost Polar, their paths must never cross. Is that clear?”

“Clear as a bell” Felix replied 

Lee nodded his head as he put the now diced chicken into a bowl, seasoning it with an array of spices before covering it with some paper towels and putting it to one side. He took a breath and looked over to the charger. The wreck now starting to come together, now starting to look like the machine Lee fell in love with. The chassis had been completely restored, the panels were new, made by hand by Felix and Adder and they were waiting to go on, new Tyres and wheels sat in the corner waiting for their moment, all its guts had been stripped and replaced accordingly and the engine, the one that had been seized by the sale water, was unseized and ready to be tried. It had taken them a few years to get to this point but all the hard work was well worth it.

“I asked Adder to order some material for the seats and headliner. He wants leather seats and the headliner to be black Suede. I thought it was strange but he thinks it will look smart” Felix said, noticing the smile on Lee’s lips “His patience has got better”

“That’s good, means he will have a little more control over the monster within him, exactly why I wanted him working on it” Lee admitted.

Yet Felix could sense something was off with Lee, he seemed a little more quieter than usual. It could have been down to the Banished pushing the reapers and testing them, or the fact there was now a new threat. They were all feeling it in that sense but usually Lee could breeze through these tough moments, finding positives somewhere and focusing on finding ways to help, yet this time, Lee seemed distant, distracted even.

“Everything okay old friend?” Felix asked carefully, looking around for Adder “He’s not back yet if you wish to speak on a personal level”

Lee took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly as he gathered up the things he used and placed them near the sink, ready for cleaning.

“I received a message from a Norn, this Norn is able to see far into the future and they have a good track record as well. In this message they state that there is an explosion, three years from now.” Lee begins as he fills the sink with warm soapy water, “They state the explosion is catastrophic, so to me that points to the power plant we have been studying, it makes sense…but they also stated that New reapers are born from this event and old ones will be lost”

“Did they say who?” Felix asked

“No….but I have a feeling in the pit of my stomach that it will be one of us, so I have begun preparations in case.  Started writing a manual on what to do if Adder’s monster escapes, how to calm him, how to snap him out of it and how to handle him. If it's me, you must promise me to look after him." Lee asked Felix softly.

"I promise Lee but let's hope it never comes to that," Felix replied.

It was then that the door to the warehouse swung open. Both Felix and Lee turned to the noise and saw Adder walking through the door, dragging a roll of material behind him.

"Where the hell did you get that?!" Felix asked

 "It was in the street!  A roll of the headliner material I need" Adder replied confidently, a look that was met with furrowed brows and disapproving tuts. "...What?"

"You don't steal from the street" Felix warned

"No, If you're gonna steal, steal it from the lorry, not so obvious when it goes missing" Lee replied with a smirk on his lips "Don't make a habit from it, pay them back in some way."

"I offered to help tidy their warehouse," Adder responded.

"It's a start, you may have to do more once you steal the leather we need. Come on, let's get a start on the headliner." Felix stated as made his way to the charger.

Sure, three years was a long time, some say it was enough time to change the future and avoid the situation at hand but this is not scrooge and the ghost of Christmas future, this was real and this was something that was set, a permanent marker in history, which meant that no matter what the reapers do from this point,  the event was going to happen regardless. The best they could do was prepare for what was to come, gather in numbers, try and restrict the movements of the banished within the area and prepare for if they are the ones to fall that day. It was a bleak way of looking at things but for their time as a reaper to be preserved, they would need to leave remnants of themselves  behind.

Lee began writing his handbook on Adder for the next reaper, hoping that whoever it will be, will be like himself. Patient, caring and nurturing. Felix would be the ideal fit for that reaper, he worked closely with Adder, knew how to get the best out of him and was helping him with keeping the beast under control. It made Lee smile to see his Minari trusting another, in fact he had grown a lot in thirty eight years. A long time for a mere mortal. Yet Lee still felt Adder had not quite reached his peak and he feared he would never see him reach it.

He took a reassuring breath before going back to cooking, pushing the news to the back of his mind, there was still time left to enjoy what he had, still time to teach Adder all he knew before then.

The evening came and graced them with warmth and a glorious sunset over the harbour. Adder Lee and Felix all sat outside on the hand crafted bench that Lee had made, and watched as the boats went up and down the Hudson and the city came to life once more. They sat in brief content silence before it was disrupted by Puma fading in before them.

"Puma? Not like you to show up here" Lee said surprised 

"Never had to before now. Jasper needs to speak to you and Adder" Puma replied

“Interesting, never had the hunters reach out to us reapers before. Something must have spooked them” 

“Could say that again, Hunters in Ukraine have had a run in with the Banished. They can weather most attacks but this one has spooked them, unsettled them even and I think it has something to do with that strange man our reapers keep seeing”

“Urgent then. Adder grab your scythe and be prepared, got a feeling your inner darkness is not going to like this” Lee warned

Those were not the words Adder needed to hear but considering the history between him and Jasper, it made sense to be prepared for if his beast wanted to emerge for a rematch, even if relations between the two parties were no longer at a hostile level.

You’re probably wondering what happened there. Well since that night in nineteen seventy seven, when Puma told the hunters where to find the Banished if they needed proof and they found them, they have since had a change of heart. Jasper apologised to Lee, called off the open season on reapers and began collaborating with them, letting them know of any activity with the Banished and if they were starting to encroach on their hunting grounds or if they were targeting more than just mere mortals.

Adder however was not very forgiving of Jasper, he still held a grudge after the way he was attacked by Jasper and his men and he still had the scar as a reminder. A conversation with the man would be testing, no matter how urgent or bad it was. 

"He should be punished" Came the inner voice in Adder's head. 

"Shut up" Adder growled as he grabbed his scythe, hoping Lee won't hear.

"Revenge" It growled

"I said shut up!" Adder snapped.

The raised voice caught Lee's attention, he looked over at Adder and could see the tension on his face, the inner turmoil as he battled to silence the beast within, who was undoubtedly gunning for Jasper. Lee took a chance and placed a hand on his shoulder, giving it a squeeze to distract him as well as gain his attention. Adder quickly turned his head to Lee, surprised to see the man beside him.

"I'll try and keep it brief Minari" Lee said calmly "If you feel the beast stirring get out of there, we need to keep the hunters on our side"

"I know…I just don't like fighting with myself Lee and lately he keeps talking, it's like he knows something is going on." Adder confessed 

"Or he's baying for attention, neither of them are a good thing, so let's just hope he's bored. Shall we go and see what the urgency is?" Lee asked.

"Yeah…let's get this done" Adder replied

"Bury them" The voice growled

Adder chose to ignore it, hoping that Lee was right, it was starved of attention and this was its way of lashing out and getting what it craved. He furrowed his brow and listened to Lee, the man telling him where they were to meet Jasper. They made sure they had all their equipment before fading to the location, Bethesda fountain.

The sun was beginning to set on a warm September evening, people were making their way home and the hunters were sitting on the edge of the fountain, Jasper reading a paper, hardly looking up when Lee and Adder appeared.

“Nice of you to show up” Jasper gruffed as he closed his paper and folded it.

"What happened to the hunters in Ukraine?" Lee asked, making sure to get to the point.

"Not what happened to them, more like what they saw. There was a shipment near that Nuclear plant you're worried about. Guessing it was taking away nuclear waste as there were lots of people in hazard suits. Everything ran smooth till that man showed up. The one In the red suit. He single handedly killed all the personnel in that port." Jasper replied "Sounds familiar?"

"You mean the incident here?" Lee replied "Yeah It sounds exact"

Adder looked confused, he hadn't heard of this man before, nor was he aware of a similar incident that happened before. Lee was hiding things from him and it was making the beast within pace in frustration.

"You mean to say this has happened before and I wasn't told?" Adder retorted, the annoyance in his voice catching Jasper's attention.

"We haven't told you for fear of what it would unleash" Lee responded 

"In other words, Lee didn't want his hot headed buck to wade in and make things worse for us all" Jasper interjected as he stood from his seat "Something we are trying to do with the young Woodman you spared. He keeps getting into scuffles at school, he's a good kid but hot headed, runs his mouth a little too much and gets sucker punched or put into detention."

Adder paused, the mention of the young boy seemingly calming his anger, as well as causing the beast to pause in thought. He had been meaning to check in on him, make sure he was safe and staying out of trouble but he had been kept busy by the car, the banished and the never ending quest of keeping the balance stable.

"Does he remember us?" Adder asked Jasper, hoping the answer would be yes.

"Remember you? Once he got over the trauma of that night, he wouldn't shut up about you. He drew pictures of you, wrote stories about you and at Christmas he put extra mince pies out in the hopes you'd be helping Santa Claus. He believed you to be guardians but as he's got older he's kinda drifted away…you never showed after." Jasper replied "Anyway enough about Daniel, it sounds like Polar is setting up a base over there, they are drawn to the fact it's a Nuclear plant but why we don't know"

"I've got a hunch…the problem is we need to clear them out and we don't know how big that hive is or where it is." Lee said calmly

"And they have that psychopath," Jasper Iterated.

"Maybe that psychopath can lead us to the hive. We can follow him, our reapers and your hunters can collaborate and follow him, have them positioned strategically to clock him and pinpoint where he's going. They usually like hiding underground so maybe we can locate some potential places, scout them out for clues or indicators that they are there." Lee suggested

"Sounds like a plan Lee but I can't afford to lose anymore hunters, we still haven't fully recovered from losing an entire family bar one so I will need you to provide protection…have some of your boys with mine, so if things Get heated they can get them out." Jasper replied

"I'll have them discussions, see if I can get the ball rolling, just make sure your men are ready and prepared. You know these monsters are ruthless and savages" Lee warned.

"Fair enough, you got forty eight hours Lee, I want to end this before it's given a chance to cause us both problems" Jasper ordered as he instructed the hunters to get to their feet "I'll tell Daniel you said hi."

Lee nodded and looked over at Adder, noticing the man seems to have gone off into his own world, distant from what is happening around him. 

"Adder, let's head back" Lee said softly, seemingly snapping Adder back to reality.

"Yeah. Sure." Adder replied, his mind still elsewhere.

Lee nodded his thanks to Jasper and faded out, appearing again at the warehouse. He hoped Adder had followed him back but when he turned to talk to him, the man wasn't there. Seemingly going off on his own but where Lee didn't know, in fact he feared that his young apprentice had decided to head to the Ukraine to deal with the issue himself. However something within him assured him that wasn't the case. So the man made a mental note to wait until he was summoned and hoped his gut was right about Adder.

What he didn't know was that Adder had decided to make a detour, showing up at Jasper's home in Brooklyn Heights, standing at the entrance of the 3 story terraced home, debating if he should climb the steps to ring the bell. It had been six years since he had last seen Daniel and by the sounds of things, he was turning into a rebel, defying Jasper, getting into trouble and fighting authority. He sounded lost and Adder blamed himself.

As Adder took a breath and plucked up the courage to climb the stairs, he heard the front door get thrown open, raised voices that were swiftly followed by the door being slammed. In front of him was Daniel, who had sat himself down on the top step, sniffling and wiping away tears.

"Daniel?" Adder asked softly.

His voice caught the young boy's attention and he slowly lifted his head to look at him. His eyes widened with surprise, recognising the man before him.

"It's you!" He whispered in shock.

"It's me…sorry I haven't been around" Adder said apologetically "It's been a bit hectic but Jasper keeps me informed"

"You're not going to take her are you?!" Daniel asked, alarmed.

"Take who?" Adder asked, confused.

"Sarah…she's my sister…she took my action man and I wished her dead." Daniel explained nervously "I didn't mean it"

Adder sighed a little and then climbed up the stairs, sitting beside Daniel. He felt for the boy, knowing it must still be hard for him to settle into a new family and find his way in life.

"I'm not here to take her, no, but you must never wish for someone to be dead, because one day they will die and you will regret your words" Adder explained calmly.

"So what do I do?" Daniel asked

"Tell your parents or try and talk to her but never wish her dead and NEVER hit her. Hitting solves nothing and hitting a girl is really bad. Hoping Jasper at least taught you that."

Daniel quietly nodded his head before looking up at Adder, studying him, staring at him in awe as many questions swirled around his head.

"Did my family make it to heaven?" He asked finally, tears beginning to form.

Adder looked over at him, knowing the boy was seeking comfort and reassurance. He could sense that despite him being a part of Jasper's family, Daniel was lost, unsure of his steps in the world.

"There are many variations of what is called Heaven" Adder began "Your family would have gone to Valhalla, it's a viking heaven where warriors who die in battle, are accepted into Odin's eternal army and reside in the halls of Valhalla, they are treated like gods, fed and watered and surrounded by those they fought beside" 

Daniel wiped the tears from his eyes, a small smile on his lips as his curiosity piqued. He began asking Adder about the Viking heaven, what Valhalla looked like, the foods they ate, if animals who died in battle were there and, strangely, if they had a bedtime. He was delighted when Adder told them that bedtimes didn't exist in Valhalla.

They sat for half an hour talking and watching the world pass them by before Adder encouraged Daniel to go back inside.

"Think you'll be okay now?" Adder asked him softly

"I'll try…can you send messages to Valhalla?" He asked curiously

"I can. Do you have one?" Adder asked him.

"Yes! Can you tell my family that I miss them and that I wish they were still here" Daniel replied sadly.

"I will…but Daniel, they are still here, you carry them with you every day, in your heart and your mind. Why don't you tell them yourself?" Adder asked him softly.

"I don't know how" Daniel said softly 

"Okay let me show you," Adder replied.

Adder got Daniel to look up to the stars, he pointed out some constellations to the young boy and asked him to choose his favourite. Daniel picked out the constellation that looked like a saucepan because it reminded him of his mother boiling up Milk to help him sleep.

"If you talk to that constellation, your family will be able to hear you. It's like a portal to Valhalla, something they won't teach you at school" Adder said playfully.

Daniel smiled and then unexpectedly threw his arms around Adder's waist and cuddled him tightly.

"Thank you," He whispered.

"Anytime" Adder replied as he tentatively wrapped an arm around him "Go…get inside before you catch a cold"

Daniel eventually let him go and made his way back into the house, leaving Adder to stand there momentarily before he faded out, making his way back to the warehouse.

Lee was writing up notes for his handbook when he heard Adder walking around in the warehouse, picking up tools around the car and putting them away. Lee lifted his head, closed the book and walked towards the door of the living quarters.

"You are back then?" He asks, catching sight of him shuffling around "Are you okay?"

"I'll be okay. If anything happened to you…what will become of me? Will someone carry on your teachings or will I be left to figure things out and feel lost, like Daniel?" Adder asked

"Guessing you went and saw the boy then?" Lee asked

Adder nodded his head as he started to make his way over to Lee.

"Felt guilty that I hadn't checked in on him and when he asked about his family…it made me think. You're the only family I have, Lee, I don't want to be lost, lost will be dangerous."

“You won’t be lost Minari, I will make sure of that. There is some pizza in the oven if you are hungry, it’s still hot and fresh” Lee replied as he ushered Adder into the living area, watching his reaction when the smell of Pizza, struck him.

As Adder loaded his plate, Lee went back to his book and closed it but he couldn’t help but shake the feeling that his time served as a reaper was starting to draw near. His fate was seemingly sealed by the norns and he knew he had to make use of the time that was left, he just hoped that whatever was to happen to him, he would die heroically and that Adder would flourish under the watchful eyes of Felix.

To say Open season being declared on the reapers was the worst thing to happen to them, is a pretty underwhelming statement. To say Open season being declared was more of a shit storm, is a little more accurate.

Adder and Lee managed to get the boy to safety, staying out of sight when the family he knew answered the door but it still didn't stop every single reaper in the world having a bounty on their heads. The Banished relished every moment of it. Of course the finger of blame was being directed towards Lee and Adder and as usual, Adder was taking his frustrations out by violent means. More barrels were damaged, more walls cracked and Lee was exhausting every option he had in order to calm him down, nothing was working and Lee feared the beast within would be making a permanent residence.

So Lee resorted to something obscure, a means to put all of that pent up aggression into something productive. A project if you will. See what you didn't know about Lee, is that the man has a love for American muscle cars. We're talking about Plymouth Barracudas, Mustangs, Impalas, Chevelle 454's, Dodge Challengers and Chargers. It was a passion he shared with Adder and he knew the other man's favourite car, one that always stopped the man dead in his tracks whenever it rode past.

A ninety sixty eight Dodge charger RT, specifically in black.

There was no way Lee would be able to get one brand new, so he went one better, he found one at the bottom of the hudson, paid someone to retrieve it and brought it back to the warehouse and boy was it in a state.

It had clearly been in the saltwater for some years, The paintwork had been stripped from the body, the body itself was rusty, brittle and crumbling away, the chassis had seen better days and as for the seats and furnishings, well they were just rotten, smelling, disgusting and destroyed. To add to all the problems, the once loud and proud V8 engine was seized, silencing the beast altogether; It was a sad sight to see, one that would make a car enthusiast's heart sink but Lee was sure it was in good hands, despite the fact none of them had an ounce of mechanical experience.

"She just needs a bit Love" Lee said proudly

"A bit of love? Lee she's practically dead" Adder retorted

"Well if she is dead, she will rise like a Phoenix from the watery grave" Lee replied happily

"How? We have no experience with these things." Adder asked

"No but there are reapers who do. I know one and he does amazing Greek food too." Lee replies as he pats his shoulder happily "Will help you focus that anger into something productive"

"Just looking at it is making me angry and you know what....I'm gonna wash it, make it slightly less of a tip"

"There you see, it's working" Lee replied cheerily

"You're not funny Lee!"

How they would find time to fix it up was beyond Adder's understanding but if he made a start on the car, it would be a small step in the right direction. Washing it would be therapeutic, ridding it of all the gunk it dredged out of the Hudson would be a fresh start, a new beginning for the beast's rotting corpse. Symbolic in a way but Adder didn't really think about that, he just wanted to clean it up and get rid of the river pong that lingered around the car.

It took him hours, cleaning it down, scrubbing it to within an inch of its life and working his job as a reaper but it was done and Adder felt a sense of satisfaction when it was no longer stinking of the Hudson. The thing was, once Adder got going, he didn't really know when to stop. He was up till the early hours of the morning, stripping out the seats and the interior before collapsing on his bed at four in the morning and waking up again at nine when he could smell bacon being cooked.

It was a smell that could quite literally wake the living dead but as Adder rose from his bed and made his way to the kitchen, he sensed a sullen atmosphere around Lee. Something had happened while he was burning the midnight oil.

"You'll burn yourself out if you are not careful," Lee said to him softly. "Did you sleep okay?"

"Yeah...slept like a log. Is everything okay Lee?"

"More reapers were attacked during the night by hunters, souls are becoming lost because these attacks are either disrupting the judgement process or they are stopping reapers from getting there in time. The balance is being rocked by these inconsistencies and I don't know how much longer we can keep it stable" Lee replied quietly

This sombre Lee unsettled Adder, he was used to the jovial, happy go lucky Lee that always had a way of cheering Adder up, not this Lee, the Lee that was looking defeat in the face and quietly accepting their fate. The hunters wanted blood for the family that was almost vanquished by the Banished but somewhere down the line, wires were crossed and their bloodlust was directed at the reapers, not the white eyed monsters that plagued them.

"Who was the family the Banished almost wiped out?" Adder asked

"The Woodman family, Hunters that were held in high regard, very respected and had a very long history of hunting, losing that kind of knowledge and that threat has an affect"

"Then we need to prove our innocence" Adder suggested, determination In his voice.

"And how do you suggest we do that? Do you think the Hunters will spare you a minute to plead?! They want blood Minari, not excuses or stories. Blood!" Lee snapped as he slammed down the fish slice "When the lead hunter speaks they listen. Why do you think reapers have been working in groups right now?"

"Well I'm not going to sit around and let this witch hunt go on, we have been given a bad name since day one and I have been seen as cursed since I stepped into this life. One way or another I am going to clear our names!" Adder growled in retaliation.

"So what are you going to do? Hmm? Bait yourself? Jasper Lockheart takes every chance he gets to bring down his prey. He gets a chance with you he will take it and he won't be gentle" Lee warned

"Then so be it" Adder replied angrily as he grabbed his scythe and headed to his first call of the day.

It left Lee frustrated, he knew the dangers the hunters possessed, especially Jasper but Adder was at breaking point and he was not willing to listen. He was determined to put things right and although Lee admitted it was a sign of a good leader, he was also worried it would get Adder into trouble. He was going by experience of course, remembering when he was in Adder's position, always striving to prove a point and ended up making mistakes, getting into fights or finding himself in some kind of trouble, yet his master didn't interfere, he allowed him to have his space and to make those mistakes, so that Lee could learn from them and this was exactly what Lee was.doing with Adder. Adder Angry was never a good idea but if he learned how to control that rage, Lee knew he would make an excellent Leader one day and it would help him have better control over the beast within.

Lee went about his own duties that day, providing support for Puma, of all reapers. The man still cursed him for making Adder a reaper but the finger of blame wasn't completely directed at Lee and Adder, the hunters had their share of the blame too. The topic all day was how this all stank, how the facts didn't seem to add up and that the Banished, the reapers worst enemy, had mastermind this to slow the reapers down. It Thoroughly pissed Puma off,

"Something stinks about all this" Puma grumbled as they walked towards Times Square, squeezing through crowds of people "You heard the man tell his son to not hunt us, you heard him forgive us and yet they still want our blood. Pisses me off" He growled

"And Adder is determined to prove our innocence" Lee replied

"How? He's gonna go knock on their door and do a reenactment in the form of Ballet? Come on Lee you know the hunters, they're pig headed and stubborn" Puma asked annoyed

"And so is Adder, he's determined." Lee Iterated

"No offence but does he have a death wish? Jasper Lockheart isn't a hunter you mess about with. If he can take a shot, he will and he will make you suffer great amounts of pain. I heard the shit he does to his prey, it ain't nice"

"That's the least of my worries right now Puma, the balance is becoming difficult to maintain, Adder is becoming more and more angry at the world and the Banished are growing in numbers. Maybe Adder has the right idea... if we prove our innocence we can at least call a truce with the hunters, maybe use them to help" Lee suggested

The suggestion caused the lightbulb to turn on in Puma's head as he paused and looked at Lee, wagging his finger at him.

"You know that ain't a bad idea! If we can hold counsel with them we can work this plan." Puma replied excitedly

"One problem." Lee replied

"Adder" Puma interjected

"We need eyes on him, we need to stop him doing something stupid while we try and resolve this amicably"

"I can get my guys to keep tabs, alert me when they see him, can even use Siren to lure him" Puma mentioned as he approached a hot dog stand and ordered two. "You know Siren has a way with the opposite sex, it's why she got the name"

"I remember when I first came here, I lost everything, was starting again, finding my way and you sent her in to size me up." Lee replied with a smirk as he took his hot dog "She almost had me"

"Yeah but she underestimated you, told me that the Samurai were a different breed. Had no clue what she was on about till I met you and you kicked my ass." Puma replied as he bit into his food

"And we have had an odd relationship ever since" Lee chuckled

"Damn straight"

You'd think it would be straight forward, that Adder would be that angry he'd get seen and Lee and Puma could conduct a counsel with Jasper. You'd think that wouldn't you? Well it didn't happen like that. Adder didn't want to be found and he made sure to stay out of the way. There were no sightings of Adder the whole day, Puma even sent some teams out to see if they could find him but there was nothing, not even breadcrumbs to say he had made an appearance. Like I said, if Adder didn't want to be found, he'd find ways to stay out of sight.

He'd been out all day, he never returned for a hot meal or to soak in the old tin bath to ease aching limbs. Instead it was meals on the go, taking fruit from stalls when the opportunity arose and drinking from water fountains. Basic survival means while he dodged contact with other reapers and now that the sun was setting, he could make his way to Central park and wait.

He knew Lee was against his plan, he knew that this plan could get him killed but if he didn't try, a fate worse than death would be waiting for them all.

He set up camp within the wooded area near the Bethesda fountain and waited patiently for midnight. He watched as the steady stream of people passing through slowed down and turned into a trickle before it became eerily quiet, the only sound being that of the water cascading down from the intricate fountain.

Adder checked his watch, noting he had five minutes to move into position. He grabbed his scythe and made his way to the fountain, making sure he could be seen clearly, baiting himself for the Hunters. He hoped they would aim their weapons at him and let him talk, he hoped they would be understanding to some degree and he hoped they wouldn't be hostile.

Hope was all he had but the hunters didn't really see it that way. Puma was right about Jasper. He saw a chance and he took it. Out of nowhere Adder was hit in the chest with a bolt from a crossbow. The short stubby arrow was black with red fletchings and Adder was about to take it out, till he was hit again, causing him to scream out in pain as another bolt struck his shoulder. His scythe dropped from his grip and bounced on the ground and in that time, the bastard known as Jasper had shot him another two times, one in the left thigh and one in the right, stopping Adder in his tracks.

Jasper got a kick out of watching Adder fall and as Adder lay there, exposed, vulnerable and in tremendous amounts of pain, Lockheart's hunters emerged and surrounded the fallen Reaper. His scythe was within reach but as he went to grasp it, a boot stepped on his hand, breaking bones and causing Adder to growl in agony.

"They say a reaper can be undone by his own weapon" Came a gravely southern drawl voice, "Always wanted to test that theory myself"

Adder managed to turn his face to the voice and was greeted with the face of Jasper Lockhart. Scarred, weathered and emotionless. He tipped the peak of his stetson to reveal the piercing icy blue eyes and the deep scar on his forehead, caused by a beast wanting his head. His beard was as white as snow, trimmed and tidy.

"The other thing they say about the scythe is that it can burn those that are not its assigned owner" Jasper gruffed as he pulled on some thick, black, industrial welding gloves. "So I came prepared"

He picked the scythe up with ease and gazed upon the blade, smirking a little as his eyes darted back to Adder.

"Why did your people kill the Woodmen Reaper?" He asked calmly

"We didn't!" Adder growled as he managed to yank out one of the bolts from his thigh, the bones in his hand healing and snapping back into place at a fast pace "We noticed our scythes reacting to the slaughter, we knew something was off and went to where the Scythe led us. When we got there, the Banished were taunting the Father and the small boy, who we saved...we were just too late for the others"

"Reapers are deceptive. You expect me to believe this tall tale of the banished? What even are they?" Jasper replied as he began to circle Adder.

"They are the reapers who followed the path of myth and lore...the ones who deceive, kill when they shouldn't and get greedy. Only unlike Myth and lore, they have white eyes, no pupils nothing...just an empty white gaze"

"Huh" Jasper said as he stopped in front of Adder "Can't say I've come across any" He said calmly

There was a brief moment, a moment where the steely blue eyes of Jasper held Adder's gaze. A moment where the man became unreadable, a moment where Adder dropped his guard.

Jasper had swiftly hooked the scythe into Adder's chest and slowly dragged the blade from his left shoulder to his right hip; For Adder it felt like an intense burning sensation, like he was being ripped open by a searing hot blade as blood oozed from the deep trench that carved into his chest.

"A reaper harmed by his own scythe is their own weakness, like superman and kryptonite. You become weak..almost mortal" Jasper said calmly as he eyed up the blade. "Sure I could take your head off if I wanted to...but I want you to suffer like you made Rick suffer."

"It wasn't us" Adder replied through gritted teeth, fighting the pain and trying to fight back the beast within.

"Lies. His last words condemned your kind" Jasper growled as he prepared to swing the scythe again.

Another blow would have put Adder at the door of his ancestors, his time as a reaper short lived but good old Lady luck stepped in, smiled and spared Adder in the most unlikely way. Lady luck came in the form of the man who made it clear he didn't like Adder, the man that would have happily started a fight in the middle of a busy Central Park.

Puma.

Adder didn't see what happened, he was too busy with his own fight to focus on what the other reaper was doing but he did hear his scythe drop to the ground, the blade bouncing a few times before finally settling. It allowed Adder to summon it while Puma and Jasper exchanged heated words.

"Ask the boy who saved him!" Puma growled "Or are you scared that your little fairytale about us is about to be blown wide open?"

"Only if you prove your ghost story about the white eyed nasties to be true" Jasper growled as he got right up in Pumas face and attempted to stare the man down.

"Take the subway line that runs under Brooklyn bridge, you'll get your proof. Oh and make sure you aim for the head and turn the bastards to ash" Puma replied, eyes still fixed on Jasper's.

"And if they are not there?" Jasper asked

"Oh they will be there...the starving ones always go there." Puma growled as Jasper began to back away, a smirk on his face.

"Know this...if you're lying to me reaper, we will make all of your lives a living hell" Jasper replied calmly

"Used to it!" Puma spat.

He watched as Jasper quietly ordered his hunters to walk away before looking back at Puma, a smirk etched on his lips.

"Don't fancy his chances" Jasper taunted before walking away.

As much as Puma wanted to rip the man's head off his shoulders, he had to restrain himself for the sake of the balance. He turned his attention to Adder and gently studied the trench left in his chest.

"Another blow like that and we'd have lost you for good" Puma gruffed "Not out of the woods though, we need to get you to a place of worship, get some holy water into that wound"

".....Lee.....where is Lee?" Adder groaned as he screwed up his face with pain.

"Left him at the other end of the park. Ain't got time to be worrying about that, we gotta move. Times ticking Adder." Puma ordered as he draped Adder's left arm over his shoulder and helped Adder up.

How Adder's innards didn't fall out at that point was a miracle but that wasn't Adder's concern. He was losing blood, severely injured and best up and yet his concern laid with the beast within that was fighting its way to the surface and Adder was in no state to fight it back. He needed Lee.

"GET. LEE!" Adder growled as blood started to ooze from his mouth.

"Alright...alright I'll get Lee but time is not on your side Adder." Puma replied as he helped Adder onto a bench, concerned with the amount of blood that was pouring out of his body.

"...It's not on your side either." Adder warned weakly, slumping to the side and struggling to keep awake.

He watched as Puma faded out, watching the whisps of black smoke circle in the air before disappearing. Once he knew Puma was out of sight, he laid himself across the bench, staring up at the stars as he tried to keep focus.

"You need me!" Said a deep voice from the shadows.

Adder smirked as he closed his eyes "Oh you talk now?" He asked himself, knowing the voice.

"I can buy you time" it growled

"At what cost? What do you want in return?" Adder asked before coughing up some blood.

"Polars head!" It barked.

"You'll get it... when I let you...if I let you...if we make it" Adder replied as he looked at his blood soaked hand.

"We will make it" It snarled

"You can't do anything!" Adder growled before screaming out in pain.

He then felt something placed over his chest, hands applying enough pressure to stem the bleeding, he then felt someone carefully take his scythe from his hand before he felt he was being lifted off the ground, carried like a child in distress. Adder clung onto them but he could feel his strength leaving his body with every passing second.

"Hold on Minari" He heard Lee say calmly

He wanted to tell Lee that the beast within wanted to bargain, wanted to break free in exchange of sparing his life but his body didn't give him the chance, he felt himself go lax before blacking out, falling into the silent black abyss. It felt like his soul was floating in a state of limbo, oblivious to what was happening around him. Quiet, eerie and cold but that would soon be gone when he heard something breathing in his ear.

"Wake up!" It snarled

Adder's eyes flew open, his breathing rapid as he tried to figure out his surroundings. He was laying on something flat, it was smooth like marble and cold to touch, above him was a bronzed canopy with turquoise inlays in the ceiling. The metal work, detailed and intricately put together. He then started to move his head around, noticing stained glass windows, high vaulted ceilings, benches, extravagant crosses and an Organ. He was in a place of worship and as he tried to figure out where he was, his thoughts were interrupted by hurried footsteps coming towards him.

"He's awake!" He could hear Lee say

"Lee... Where am I?" Adder asked weakly, wanting to get up.

"Stay still Minari, save your strength," Lee replied.

Puma rushed hurriedly alongside Lee, carrying a bowl filled with water in one hand while the other was gloved, holding Adder's scythe. Together they approached where Adder was laying and before Adder could protest, Lee quickly soaked some clean rags in the water and began to bathe the wound across Adder's chest.

For a moment it felt like the water was doing nothing to the trench that lay across Adder's chest but within seconds, Adder could feel the wound beginning to burn, like the wound was being cauterised by a searing, white hot poker. He gritted his teeth, tried to bite back the pain but it intensified, causing Adder to scream and flail his arms around. Puma was forced to restrain him as best as he could while Lee worked.

"It's holy water Adder, it's doing its job" Puma said hurriedly

"It feels like fucking bleach!" Adder growled as his body arched and squirmed

"It's clearing the poison from your blood" Lee replied

"Poison?! He struck me with my own scythe! There was no poison!" Adder snapped

"When you are struck by your own weapon, your powers become restrained, limited as a means of punishment. Your blade turned against you, will poison you and the only way to rid the poison or curse is to come to a place of worship and clean the wounds with blessed water." Lee replied, still cleansing the wound.

There was a chance that Adder could curse some more, maybe even take the lord's name in vain a few times but all that came out of his mouth were screams of agony, wailings and choked back groans. He managed to stay conscious throughout the ordeal but by the end he was tired, the fight all but left him while Lee carefully wrapped the now cleansed and closed wound.

"Like many mortals who are cut deep, you will carry a scar as a mark of your mistake, This is a lesson Minari. A lesson you must learn about self control and restraint. You could have died tonight had we not come looking" Lee scolded as he placed the blood soaked rags into the now empty bowl.

"Hey take it easy on him Lee, he did what he had to" Puma replied, defending Adder.

"Says the man who believed him to be a curse." Lee replied

"Yeah you got me there but he put his life on the line to clear our names. You could say it was stupid, sure but at least he was willing to do something about it."

Lee wasn't always wrong but when he was, it was always a bitter pill to swallow, especially hearing it from a man who wasn't exactly the number one fan of his apprentice.

"Time will tell if he made the right choice or not. Let's get you home Minari, you need to rest, heal and learn to not be so headstrong" Lee said softly as he carefully helped Adder to his feet, draping one of Adder's arms around his shoulders while he wrapped one of his own arms around Adder's waist, supporting him.

"How are you gonna teach him that?" Puma asked as he handed Adder his scythe.

"By working on our little project," Lee replied with a smile.

Project Charger, as Lee would call it, would be the distraction Adder would need during his down time and the lesson of keeping a level head. Let's be honest, even the most experienced mechanic can still find a way to lose their mind when a car just refuses to work. All that aside, while Adder is laid up and made to rest, the hunters decided to take Puma up on the opportunity to encounter the banished. They took the subway, they went on the line heading towards Brooklyn and as Puma predicted, they were there.

Now let's not beat about the bush here. You'd be right in thinking that after being attacked by his  own scythe, treated and bandaged up, that our boy Adder would be back kicking ass in a day. 

Unfortunately that's not quite how it goes. 

The wound gets treated, yes but for everything to return to normal, the powers and the healing, it would take a reaper two weeks to fully recover from the ordeal. That meant Adder had two weeks of down time. Now he could relax, take walks and embrace nature but that wasn't his thing and of course, Lee had to teach him patience and to learn to keep a level head. So what better way than to get him to work on the rotting Dodge Charger that sat in the vast empty warehouse space, looking sorry for itself.

He woke Adder up early and handed him a full plate of breakfast to get him going. Adder was still in a state of confusion by the time the plate was put in his hands but he wasn't going to complain about food being handed to him, which he scarfed down within minutes before going to freshen himself up for the day. He was careful when cleaning around the still healing wound, changing the dressings and making sure nothing was irritated.. 

Once he was ready for the day to begin, Lee walked him over to the charger and gently patted his shoulder. 

"She's all yours" Lee said happily 

"Okay but where do we even start with this? She has so much work to be done that it's impossible to know where to start" Adder replied 

"I know, that's why I asked Felix. He said start on taking out the interior, which is the seats and the upholstery. Hopefully once you manage to do that he should be free to help" Lee said happily.

"Felix? Who is Felix?" Adder asked

"An honorary Greek Reaper who makes some amazing food. You're in for a treat" Lee responded as he handed Adder a wrench. "Have fun Minari"

Adder, naturally wanted to protest, Lee however didn't give him that chance, before words could even form in his mouth, Lee had faded out leaving Adder alone with the wreck of a once glorious machine. However at least he had somewhere to start when it came to bringing it back to life. So he got to work, grabbing the tools he thought he needed for the job and opening the passenger side door, which fell off its hinges.

"Well that's a good start" He muttered to himself as he stepped into the passenger side and began to feel around the foot well, looking for the bolts that keep the seat attached to the car.

There was no denying it was going to be fiddly, especially with the way they were mounted. Nonetheless, Adder was determined, he found a way In and the annoying process of trying to unscrew the rusted and salt water soaked bolts, began. 

It wasn't simple, it wasn't straightforward and the bolts weren't moving for no one. Adder spent two hours cussing, bargaining and threatening the bolts in question but they weren’t showing signs of movement and Adder was forced to rethink his approach, which also meant a much needed tea break. 

During the time it took Adder to make the tea and wait for it to brew, someone appeared in the warehouse, someone he had never seen before. Same height yet skinny, Olive skinned, brown eyes and a chiselled jawline. He also had short grey hair that was combed neatly to one side and was wearing a grey turtleneck with a long black blazer and jeans. He was holding a gym bag, standing next to the car and stroking his greying goatee as he inspected it.

“Panaya mou, Lee was not kidding” He muttered

“Who the bloody hell are you?!” Adder shouted, grasping a saucepan tightly in his hand.

The man turned to look at Adder and gave him a beaming smile.

“You must be Adder! My name is Felix, Lee speaks fondly of you.” He said happily as he put his hand out, ready to be shook.

Adder gingerly took his hand and gave it a firm shake, looking the man dead In the eyes, trying to read him.

"You're wary. I know but I don't make judgements based on rumours and fables. So where are we with this sad car?" Felix asked

"Still trying to get the seats out. Bolts ain't moving for shit" Adder replied 

"They won't, they're seized and they need a little persuasion." Felix said happily "Let me change into my overalls and I'll show you a few tricks to get them off"

Unlike Puma, Felix seemed humble, genuine and down to earth. He was calm, patient and generally pleasant towards Adder but the moment he slipped the overalls on and began working on the car, he seemed to change into a completely different person. While Adder made the tea, he could hear what could only be described as Greek cursing, the word Malaka was used quite a bit and was aimed directly at whatever thing he was working on. By the time Adder had made the tea and brought it over to Felix, he noted the man wearing a welding mask and holding a blowtorch.

“I see Lee has trained you in the art of tea making” Felix said happily as he lifted up his welding mask

“What is Malaka?” Adder then asked curiously, as he handed Felix his cup.

“...Oh you heard?”

“Well…kinda hard not to when it’s been shouted from halfway down the warehouse” Adder replied “I can only think it means something awful judging by the way it was said”

“It means Asshole” Felix replied Nonchalantly

"Fitting" Adder agreed as he took a sip from his own cup.

"Indeed. So let me show you what we're going to do with this blow torch and those bolts.”

Now if you have some kind of mechanical know-how, you’d know that using the blow torch on seized bolts is seen as no longer being polite. It is seen as a way of saying “I am no longer asking” And after spending hours negotiating and trying to be polite, Felix was no longer in a bargaining mood with some bolts.

He showed Adder what to do. Hold the flame to them for thirty seconds and then use a wrench to work on the bolts. It took a few goes and a few more cuss words before they finally gave up fighting against the man. Suddenly the two hour job became a ten minute job and the seats were finally freed from their salty locks. Once they were out, Felix and Adder began to strip the interior, removing the sagging headliner first and tossing it outside the car before moving onto things like the visors, door trims and carpet. 

By the time Lee had returned, he was welcomed with a pile of discarded, green smelling fabric and a car almost stripped down to the chassis, minus a few panels that were considered to be in a reasonable state.

“Where did the car go?” Lee asked with a tiny smile

“Oh it’s still here” Felix replied as he emerged from under the car, covered in grease and oil “Just a little undressed is all”

“And my Minari?” Lee asked

“You’re what now?” Felix replied confused

“He means me!” Adder piped up as he walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands with an old rag. “Minari means apprentice”

“Oh! Has he taught you how to curse in Japanese as well?” Felix asked

“No need to, he learnt what he needed when he was being tortured” Lee replied nonchalantly

“Torture can do that to a man” Felix replied casually as he started to pack away his tools “But give them the right environment and that darkness can turn into growth and that rage can be put to use. He showed incredible focus today and determination. Harness that power right and you will get a terrific leader out of him”

Lee nodded in agreement before chuckling at the look Adder was giving them both.

“Did I just walk into a philosophers guild?” Adder asked

Both men just looked at Adder and smiled because unbeknown to Adder, Lee and Felix go back some way, both of them roughly became Reapers at the same time and have seen more than their fair share of human history, both good and bad. So when they had a deep thought that they needed to share, it was always worth taking a seat and listening to what they had to say. Both men were wise, full of wisdom and tall stories. Adder could happily sit there for hours and listen to the stories they share.

And share they did, well into the early hours of the morning as the coffee and tea flowed around and the stories kept coming in their droves. Adder listened, hanging onto every word until his body could no longer manage to stay awake. He found himself getting comfortable on the floor and in no time, he was fast asleep, curled up on some discarded boxes, holding himself. It was something Lee picked up on, almost instantenously. 

“Looks like my Minari has tired himself out” Lee said softly as he put down his empty cup

“Well he did work hard today, was very determined to get that car stripped down” Felix replied, watching Lee carefully approach Adder “Do you worry he will become like Polar? I mean that beast-”

“That beast within is under control.” Lee interrupted, giving Felix a stern look “He will be nothing like Polar, in fact he will be the complete opposite. I will teach him and train him to be one of the best, despite everyone having their doubts”

Felix couldn't agree more with him, he had confidence in Lee and knew the man would keep the beast within on some form of leash. He wasn't concerned but he understood the concerns of the others and this latest incident involving the hunters and putting out an open season on the reapers, certainly didn't help Adder's cause for having confidence in him, something Lee knew but chose to ignore.

"That darkness is what the Banished want Lee. You know that and you know this is their latest tactic to try and turn him to their side" Felix warned.

"Then you will know I will do everything I can to protect him. I made a mistake with Polar, I'm not going to make the same mistake with Adder. Have faith Felix…he will come through and prove his doubters wrong" Lee replied.

Felix believed him, Felix chose to have faith in Lee but what none of them knew was what the Banished had up their sleeve. Open season from the hunters was just the start of what twisted plan they had formulated together. A mere distraction to cause doubt and concern amongst the reaper ranks, to question the actions of Lee and to judge the one he chose to train as his own, while they, The Banished worked on their own monster, one they knew would antagonise and rile the beast within, one they sensed would be the tipping point.

So let's go back, go back to when Adder became Reaper, when Lee helped him to escape the hell that was a Kempeitai holding facility created for those they deemed different. Adder was being tortured by a man known merely as Red Dragon, a man who mocked him, a man who pushed all the buttons to get Adder to snap.

Had Lee not stepped in when he did, the man known as Red Dragon would have either had his head torn off or he would have been crushed to death but as it was, he escaped with his life and made it his mission to find Adder again and kill "The Demon." He went as far as getting the papers in Japan to write his story about the encounter, to inform people that if they found him alive, to bring it to him. The reward was the equivalent to half a million dollars in Japanese Yen. His search went on for three decades before someone, or should I say something contacted him. 

Titan had heard of his search, heard his story of how he wanted the Demon dead, how he wanted to study the creature, figure out what made him tick and to use its DNA to create his own breed of warrior. Titan of course, knew who he spoke of and between them, they created an elaborate plan to give him what he wanted but it meant Red Dragon would have to die and a Reaper would need to lose their life. They pulled it off and now the Red Dragon was under the control of the Banished, led by Titan, under the orders of Polar who wanted a warrior to equal, if not better, Adder. It was no secret that Polar had a burning desire to flatten his former master and what better way than to turn his prized asset against him.

Their project was already in its second year and already the Red Dragon was showing glimpses of what type of warrior he was becoming. A fast, strong and ruthless killer. Polar put him through his paces, sent him on a few test raids, striking military bases and a few small hunter groups. Recently he had taken out a small hunter group on the subway, leading a few of the starved and utilising their potential so they could eat.

He was quickly becoming a force and Polar enjoyed watching him grow, yet he wasn’t ready to unleash him onto the world just yet, he needed to put him through his paces, needed to make sure that he was a solid match for Adder and the beast within. So to test him, Polar would spar him and sometimes make him fight the starved, knowing full well that the starved were expendable yet dangerous to fight. Each fight would increase in difficulty, each time Polar sparred with him he would include titan and two, maybe three other banished members. Each time he fought the starved, Polar increased the amount in the group, pushing Red Dragon to his limits.

So while Adder recovered and worked on the car, Polar was secretly mobilising his new weapon, stealthily causing a stir among the reapers, just enough to get them to question and point the finger of blame over towards Lee and Adder, blaming Adder’s appearance on the recent events that have unfolded, distracting them while he got to work on slowly unravelling the balance. A long, twisted plan that would eventually pay off for The Banished.

Polar was overseeing another fight with Red Dragon and a large group of the starved when Titan strode in and stood beside him, a smile on his face as he watched Red Dragon easily tear the starved apart.

“They are becoming merely a snack to him” Titan said calmly

“Mmm, they will keep his hunger sated for now” Polar replied, transfixed on the Red Dragon’s movement “How about the Reaper? Rumour has it, the hunters done a number on him.”

“Dumb bastard thought he could clear the reaper name by being brazen, all it did was piss them off some more and they ended up using his scythe against him… He almost died but Lee got there in time” Titan replied as he studied his hands “Not a problem though, just another part of the plan”

“What I like to hear” Polar replied with a twisted smile on his lips “Tribes across the water have been in touch, It’s looking like we can take it up a few notches in September, tribes are already making their way into position. It’s going to be a long game of chess my friend but one that will be worthwhile” 

Titan nodded, watching the Red Dragon finish off the last of the starved, all that remained were piles of ash scattered around him and smeared on his face, a sickening form of war paint to accompany the sadistic smile on his face.

“Think we will need to up the numbers again” Polar called out, catching the attention of the Red Dragon “You’re making it look too easy”

“They are too easy, I need a challenge Master, Let me try him, let me taunt him and be his waking nightmare” Red dragon replied as he pushed his hair back from his eyes.

“In due time, I’m sure Titan has something to keep you occupied until then” Polar replied

“Oh always, feeling like a dock drop tonight” Titan replied with a smirk

A dock drop is when The Banished pounce on dock workers when a shipment comes in. There are many crates and nooks in which they can hide in, pounce and feed. They take enough to quench their hunger and do enough to not only put the workers on edge but the reapers too. 

Dock drops were fairly easy, hardly ever a challenge but Red Dragon made it a challenge. He would do time runs, see how many souls he could take in a set amount of time, he would also see how quickly he could take people down, exposing himself in a wide open space and seeing how fast he could take them down before an alarm was raised.

He grew bored of easy pickings, always wanting to push himself or go beyond expectation and as impressive as it was, there were those who objected to his recklessness. Titan knew to leave it to them to argue amongst themselves and often that argumentation would end in those opposed, being slain by Red Dragon.

This particular dock drop was no exception, the others were cautious in selecting their meals and Red Dragon just walked on in without hesitation, drawing attention to himself to get the adrenaline running before doing what he does best. There was one problem though, one of the dock workers found the alarm button. Unwanted attention was being drawn to him and the other banished. They were high tailing it out of there, leaving Dragon to manage his own mess, not realising that this was exactly what he wanted. A challenge and a platform to announce himself, wanting the attention of the reapers so he could begin luring Adder out, despite Polar thinking it was too soon into his progression.Titan should have pulled him out before things got worse but he wanted to see how it would play out and if Dragon was the monster they needed him to be.

Within seconds of the alarm going off, Dragon was surrounded by dock security, armed with guns, spotlights pointed at him while someone with a tannoy shouted at him, ordering him to give himself up. Titan wasn’t close enough to see his face but he sensed Dragon was smirking at them and he knew Polar’s prodigy would lure them into a false sense of security.

Dragon slowly placed his hands behind his head and got down on his knees, faking compliance, luring them into his trap. It was a trick Titan taught him but Dragon was taking it up another level. He waited for the circle of armed guards to come in closer before he struck and when he struck it was ruthless, clinical and precise. The first guard that tried to restrain him, had his eyes gouged out and his gun turned on him, Dragon not hesitating to put him out of his misery before tossing the gun aside, encouraging them to try him.

Unsurprisingly they were hesitant, backing off from him and unnerved by the way he quickly disposed of one of their comrades while he stood there smirking, his hands dripping with blood while he seeked out his next target, identifying the weak link and deciding to leave them till last rather than take them out first. He had already taken down what he presumed to be the strongest and he hungered for more. He looked into each and everyone of their eyes, studied them, analysed them and unnerved them before he heard a faint click from behind him. He turned around quickly and smirked at the man glaring at him, finger on the trigger, ready to unload a magazine into him.

“You’re a brave one” Dragon hissed

Before the man knew it, Dragon was on him, hand wrapped tightly around his throat, crushing the life out of him, slowly consuming his soul before tossing his lifeless body to the ground. He wasn’t hanging around for his next target and moved onto the next one, ending them swiftly as he removed the blade he had tucked in his boot and slashed the man’s throat, leaving them to choke and drown in their own blood. The next one, he turned the gun on them and coldly put a bullet between their eyes. There was no fear, no hesitation or mercy shown from Dragon and in no time, he had made light work of the men sent to take him down. Only one still stood, the weak link, whom Dragon calmly approached, an easy smile on his lips.

“It would be too easy to end you” He said calmly, smirking at the way the man shook at the sight of him, relieving himself in fear as Dragon stood before him “Instead, I’ll let you suffer with the nightmares that will follow, reliving every moment you stood and done nothing to save them. I think for a coward like you, that would be more fitting”

He gently patted the man’s shoulder and calmly walked away from him. The alarms within the dock were still sounding but it didn’t put him off his stride, he shoved his blood soaked hands into his pockets and walked out the dock nonchalantly, smirking when he saw the police rolling up, screaming through the entrance and not even batting an eyelid at the man calmly walking away from the scene of the crime.

What he left behind was a horrific sight, a large pool of blood covered the floor, bodies discarded, most were intact but some were missing eyes, some had their skulls blown apart and there was one man, left alive and muttering nonsense, speaking of a man with white eyes and insane strength tearing through his team. Yet from what the police could see, he was the one holding the gun, he was the threat and the man to be put into cuffs. A well played move by Dragon, one that would surely get the attention of his foes.

Titan of course, had watched the slaughter from a distance. Needless to say he was impressed with the way Dragon had handled himself but he knew the others would see it another way, more reckless than innovative. He was prepared for the onslaught of criticism and scaving comments that would soon follow and his response would be to direct their concerns to Polar, who he knew would back Dragon.

He made his way back to the abandoned Worth street station and walked to the platform where Polar sat on his throne, watching the empty tunnel in anticipation for a train to go by.

“I heard someone made quite the entrance” Polar said calmly, not even turning his head to look at Titan.

“Ay… He decided to push his boundaries.” Titan replied as he thought it best to remain in the shadows.

“Dock drops aren’t supposed to be that chaotic, they were designed to allow those who chose to go along, to feast in peace” Polar replied as he rose from his throne “Did he grow bored?”

“I would say he fancied himself a challenge, yes” Titan replied

“The others returned complaining of being forced to ditch their meal, some spoke of their concern for Dragon, claiming he is wild, reckless and possibly insane” Polar mentioned as he turned his head towards Titan “But you already knew that”

“Sir-”

“You owe them a meal, Titan, however this little escapade has shown to me that Dragon is more than ready for more than Dock drops and easy pickings, he craves carnage and chaos so we up his level. I’ll put him with the seekers” Polar replied

The seekers. They are the Banished that purposefully cause problems and disguise them as freak accidents. The blackout in New York was caused by them, an incident created in order to allow the Banished to devour souls and cause a shake up, while under the guise of it being a freak incident and whilst that incident occurs, the seekers get their fill as well. They get the best of both worlds and there is never a dull moment, something that Dragon would prefer, than be bored out of his skull with easy missions.

“The more opportunities we can create, the more we disrupt the reapers and what better way than to use someone with a nose for chaos, to our advantage. Spice this war up a little” Polar replied as he stretched his limbs and cracked his neck. “And that apprentice of Lee is the final piece of the puzzle. The key to their demise and it will be oh so sweet to watch”

So, as you can see, Polar upped the stakes, setting his weapon loose on the world early and relishing the carnage he created along the way, which meant that things were about to get even worse for the reapers and the screw being turned even more on Adder, exactly what Polar wanted in order for the balance to tilt in their favour

But this war isn’t one Polar wanted to be done quickly, this war was one that would take time and precision. There were strategic points that Polar would hit over time and there were those he would hit hard and fast, staying unpredictable and keeping his enemies on edge. It was all part of the endgame he had in mind, a slow steady build up to the collapse of the reapers and the balance and the start of his domination.

The cold, lifeless bodies that lay on the floor of the docks acted as a warning, a warning of things to come as more souls became lost. Police and fire crews, trying desperately to figure out what had happened but all they had was a gibbering wreck telling them about a man with white eyes, a man possessed by a demon of some description, that made light work of his comrades. A description was given but they deemed the man clinically insane, suffering with potential schizophrenia and needing to be put into a high security asylum.

All of this was being overseen, by reapers who heard the alarms coming from the docks but were too late to save anyone, reapers who were not used to seeing this level of carnage in their area and as expected it caused panic among them. They had no choice but to seek out advice from someone they deemed as being experienced enough to handle the situation and they chose Lee. Thankfully Adder was put to bed when the news was broken to Lee and Felix.

Both of them sat quietly as they processed the news that had been given to them.They had raised it another level, they were becoming more bold and brazen with their actions but Lee couldn’t stop thinking about who they described and who he knew that matched that description.

“It can’t be, the last I saw of him, he was nearly crushed by the beast within” Lee uttered in disbelief.

“Who would that be Lee?” Felix asked gently

“If It’s who I think it is, we are entering a new dangerous phase of this never ending battle between us and The banished.” Lee warned “He’s found a way to lure out Adder’s dark side”

“Lee, who is it?” Felix asked again

“It was the man who found him before us, who put him through hell and helped birth the beast. He called himself Red Dragon” Lee replied, holding Felix’s gaze “He was the only one brave enough, to laugh in his face and put a bullet between his eyes and he wasn’t phased by the beast. He wasn’t even a part of the Banished...he was human at that point and he showed no fear in front of Adder and the beast.”

“...Oh no” Felix replied quietly

Lee wanted to test his theories on how to stop the beast within and whether Adder liked it or not, every night he would take his young apprentice to a feasting spot and literally make him fend for himself, knowing damn well the overwhelming numbers of hungry Banished would provoke the beast to emerge and make light work of the horde; and like every night, Lee would use one of the two ways of calming the beast, adapting them to be more effective.

Screaming out Adder's name in Japanese seemed to be effective enough and if that didn't work, creating a high pitched ringing noise was a fail safe even if it did bring him to his knees in agony. Regardless, they worked and the more they worked on it the more control over the beast they had. It was soon learning to relinquish control once it cleared the horde of Banished. Didn't mean to say there weren't any mishaps or moments where the beast saw red and needed bringing back into line.

Yet Lee couldn't help but shake the feeling that the Banished were plotting something, something big and possibly catastrophic. Of course, Lee would be right to be concerned of that feeling because down in the darkest depths of Manhattan they lurked, pockets of tribes that hid, biding their time for the right moment to strike. Supply was limited, the reapers were on top of things, fighting to keep down numbers and keep the balance in check but that was all about to change.

News travelled fast amongst the Banished. Polar was back and the numbers were slowly growing in their favour but the exciting news was that of a reaper with a monster that lived within them. The chatter was loud, they were all talking about it within their little pockets and soon enough that news got to the man himself, the big cheese. Polar.

So about the man they call Polar. He's 6ft tall, broad shoulders, thick set and intimidating. His arms were muscular, his biceps bulged, his forearms looked to be chiselled from granite and his hands were big enough to crush skulls and gripped stronger than a vice. His hair was as white as snow, cut short and slicked back. He had deep lines across his forehead that disguised the scar over his left eye, inflicted on him from a fight with a reaper. He had a strong, square jaw, thick neck and wouldn't do a bad job passing off as a wrestler. The man had a strong presence, you knew when he entered the room, everyone would fall deathly silent as the sound of his heavy steps echoed around you.

Where he lurked was in an abandoned subway station known as Worth Street, it was covered in graffiti, soot, general grime, dust and god knows what else. Trains still rushed by the abandoned platforms, an ideal viewing platform for Polar, who had placed his throne slap bang in the middle in order for him to view the trains that went past and fuck with the minds of those on board. He got a sick kick out of seeing the looks of terror on their faces when they caught his gaze.

The throne in question was made from old twisted rail tracks, sleepers, discarded panelling and pipes. It wasn’t pretty but to be fair none of what the Banished had was pretty. 

For years the throne sat vacant, nobody dared to fill the space or attempt to rule the Banished in polars absence, They knew he was still alive, they knew he was licking his wounds in some dark quiet corner of the world and they knew it would be a matter of time before he returned. 

So now you're probably wondering what happened to Polar. Well like all Banished he was once a reaper and he was a former understudy of Lee. He came before Adder and like Adder he was a quick learner, fast and a very good fighter, powerful even but it all fell apart. He was coerced down the dark path by another strong Banished leader known as Alpha and the rest was history. Lee couldn't save him or turn him back, he was lost and the damage he caused reverberated through the years.

Polar disappeared on the night Adder was reborn as a reaper. Him and Lee were locked in a heated battle, one Polar was losing before Lee got the call. Lee assumed the monster was going to lick his wounds and come back with a vengeance; he didn't anticipate it would be over thirty years before he resurfaced again. Yet he had his reasons, he knew Lee would have another apprentice to bring up. He could have struck when the iron was hot, when Adder was still finding his way but what would be the fun in that? It would have been too easy to kill his old master's new apprentice, less satisfaction too. No he had his eyes on a different target and the fact Adder had a dark streak was music to his ears.

The message he sent to the pockets of Banished hiding within the city was simple. Dominate. He needed to increase numbers, be seen as a threat and be strong enough to overthrow and do tremendous amounts of damage to the balance, enough to tilt it In the favour of the underworld, opening up portals to hell and other horrific, nightmarish realms that only ever existed in fever dreams.

He was that kind of man, hell bent on punishing those who wronged him and on top of that list was none other than Lee. His former master had left his mark on Polar, a deep scar across his chest, a constant reminder of the time he undermined Lee's ability.

Like every day, Polar sat on his throne, watching the trains go past while he plotted his next move. 

"I bore witness to the beast Lee is keeping under wraps" Came a voice from behind, thick with a Boston accent.

Polar paused a moment before looking over his right shoulder, smiling a little when he noticed his right hand man. He was roughly five foot ten, lean yet athletic. He had short brown hair, sharp cheekbones and jawline and sported a goatee. He always wore a long black trench coat that went down to the floor, a black suit and shirt and was always well presented.

"Nice to see you Titan" Polar gruffed as he flashed a smile

“Welcome home boss” Titan responded calmly as he emerged from the shadows, eyes fixed on the tracks.

"So…what kind of monster are we dealing with?" Polar asked

"He made light work of the starved, most reapers do but he was fast, exceptionally fast, as strong as you, maybe even stronger and, the best bit, if you kill Lee you take away the one thing that keeps it under control." Titan explained.

"You mean to say this reaper has no control of his wild side?" Polar asked intrigued

"Think of the chaos we would cause if we took out Lee. We'd throw the balance, hell would rise and we would be the rulers for once" Titan replied with a Cheshire cat grin "And we have the key to provoke this beast"

"Ah yes, how is their training coming along?" Polar asked.

"Well-"

Polar quickly raised his hand up to stop him while a train approached the platform. The lights illuminating the gloomy station, sparks flying off the tracks as it maintained speed. It emerged from the tunnel and screamed past the platform, Polar and Titan watching on, grinning when they caught the gazes of worried onlookers peering out the windows. In mere seconds the station was plunged back into its gloomy state and Polar allowed Titan to continue.

"As I was saying, our newest member is picking up things rather quickly and is on course to be the perfect match up. They'll be the distraction you need in order to exact revenge on your former master." Titan continued 

"Excellent news" Polar purred menacingly before he rose from his throne. "Fancy joining me in leaving a message for our favourite reaper?"

"What do you have in mind sir?" Titan asked.

"I feel like ruffling a few feathers, sending a few hunters chasing the wrong tail"

"I'm liking your style" Titan responded

"Glad you do. Let's strike while the iron is hot, give Lee something to think about."

Titan nodded as they walked over to the platform edge and waited. Unlike the reapers, the Banished are unable to fade like their counterparts but it never bothered them, they could move fast, use the darkness to their advantage and utilise what was at hand, which in the case of Polar and his men, was the subway and since they were boarding from a station long since abandoned, they had to board by other means. I'll leave that to your imagination.

The hunters in question often congregated within Central Park after midnight, mainly because of it being known as the "witching hour". Midnight has always been peak time for the nasties in the world to come crawling out and cause Havoc and unfortunately reapers always ended up in that bracket as well. 

Most hunter families saw a reaper as being a valued trophy in their collection. Being able to bring down the grim reaper was a badge of honour in their eyes, yet none were victorious in doing so.It didn't stop them trying though and in doing so, they would become an irritation to the reaper population which is why Polar wanted to stir things up between them. 

There was no plan, no money or wares to be used in exchange, no begging or negotiations, just Polar, walking into the meeting nonchalantly and announcing himself. Of course he was greeted with crossbows and guns aimed at his and Titans head but it didn't stop the sickening grin forming on his lips. He studied the group of hunters carefully, taking note of the small six year old boy hiding behind his father's legs, fear in his eyes.

"Tell me, is it normal practice to bring a young boy to a hunting party?" Polar asked.

"The boy needs to learn his trade, so you best tell us what you're doing here if you want to leave with your head on your shoulders" The father growled. 

Polar smirked a little as he began to circle like a trapped hungry shark within the group of hunters, keeping eyes on the father; He was tall, thick set, in his forties and had short, greying brown hair, piercing green eyes and stubble. He wore a long chestnut coloured coat, the clothes underneath were black and Polar could clearly identify that he was wearing a protective vest and leg holsters. He then noticed the stunning redhead beside him, similar height, sharp facial features and wearing the same clothes. Obviously the wife, along with several brothers and sister, all looked similar in appearance to the father.

"A family hunt then?" Polar asked with intrigue.

"Yeah and we ain't got far to look for our prey" The father growled.

"Well I have a message for you?"

"Best say it before we spill your guts." Replied the father as he readied his finger on the crossbow trigger "Cause I'm running out of patience."

That's when the grin on Polars lips spread wider. Music to his ears.

"The reapers send their heartfelt regards" He purred before launching himself at the father, the father managed to pull the trigger but Polar managed to dodge the bolt and was already tearing into him, his talon like nails managing to slice open his skin while the father wrestled to take control, meanwhile Titan was making light work of the others, he was a master of using the darkness for cover, blending in and pouncing when they least suspected it, gouging out their eyes with his fingers, blinding them before turning their weapons against them, he either shot them in the head with their own guns or slit their throats with their knives, or worse. 

Titan's face was covered in blood, a demonic grin on his lips as he caught sight of the young boy running for the bushes, his mother marching towards him, a shot gun raised and trained on his head.

"Oh no, did hubby not make it?" Titan mocked.

"He's hanging in there, can't say much for you though" she replied calmly

"And what makes you say that?" Titan asked as he shoved his hands into his coat pocket "Just taken out half your family and you think, you alone can take me down? Very bold assumption for you"

“A mothers bond is far greater than anything else in this world, even stronger than you blowing smoke up your masters ass” 

“Feisty. I like it” Titan remarked

He casually started to walk towards her, pausing when he heard the shotgun being racked.

“One step closer and I’ll blow your fucking head off” She growled

A sigh escaped Titans lips as he hung his head a little before slowly lifting it again to look at the red head before him. She was a fighter, she was determined and she wasn’t going out with a whimper.

“I was hoping it would be quick” Titan replied Nonchalantly

“What? Your death?” She replied

“No… Yours” 

Before she could pull the trigger, Titan had gone, moved into the shadows, stalking his prey, eyeing up her weaknesses and plotting his moves carefully. She wouldn’t have much weight behind her but he knew she would fight like a lioness to protect her cub. His only viable option is to get her off her feet, immobilise her and keep her hands away from him.

He waited for her to drop her guard momentarily before he pounced, snatching the gun out of her hands, using it to strike her across the jaw and laughing when he heard the sickening snap of her jaw bone. He waited for her to regain her balance once more before grabbing her by the throat and lifting her, easily off the ground, her feet frantically trying to kick him but he held strong.

“You would have been a good one” He says flatly, his grip tightening around her throat “but you’re not a reaper, seems such a waste”

“Fuck you” She garbled while struggling to release his grip.

"Oh honey you wish," Titan replied

She put up a fight, struggling to break free so she could save her boy, but Titan was strong and the more she fought  to break free of his grip, the tighter he made it. In the end Titan grew tired of her attempts and swiftly ended her life by crushing her windpipe. He then tossed her lifeless corpse to the ground, leaving it in a heap.

"Now where is your boy?" He growled while he scanned the area.

It was quiet for a moment before Titan heard a rustling coming from one of the bushes nearby. A grin grew across his lips as he strode over to the bush and saw the young boy curled up, knees tight to his chest, eyes slammed shut as tears streamed down his face.

"There you are brat!" Titan snarled

The boy's eyes flew open, he turned his head and yelped in surprise when he saw the vacant white eyes glaring down at him. He began to crawl backwards on his elbows, trying to get away from the monster that he just witnessed kill his mother.

"Daddy!" He screamed in terror.

"Your dad can't hear you, he's getting chunks ripped out of him. There's no one to save you now brat!" Titan growled as he marched after him

The boy gulped hard, desperately picking up speed but finding it impossible to get away, the monster was getting nearer and nearer. Then suddenly black smoke appeared in front of him and what manifested from the smoke was a man. Tall, blonde hair, black t-shirt, jeans and boots. Then he saw it, the Scythe held tightly in his hands, the blade glinting menacingly in the moonlight. A gasp fell from his lips, causing the man to look over his shoulder momentarily.

"Oh this is perfect" Titan said cheerily "Lee and his prized pet, to the rescue"

"If you want the boy, you'll have to get through me first" The man replied with a thick London accent.

"With pleasure. Adder." Titan hissed

Titan lunged at Adder but Adder had faded and reappeared behind him, pulling him back by the shoulders, causing Titan to hit the deck. Titan scrambled to his feet, turning to face Adder, noting how there was an air of calm about him.

“Nice trick. Now fight properly!” Titan growled

“If you insist,” Adder replied as he readied his scythe.

Titan scrunched up his face and charged at Adder once again,a guttural growl forcing its way out of his mouth as he pounced and tackled Adder to the floor, raining punches down on him, Adder using his scythe as a guard before striking Titan across the jaw with the end of the snath, this  allowed for Adder to overpower Titan, using his scythe as leverage while he rolled Titan onto his back, pushing the scythe down onto his throat and applying pressure, not paying attention to what Titan was doing with his leg. Titan was slowly positioning it underneath Adder’s chest, waiting for the right moment to present itself to him.

And he got it. A lapse in judgement and Adder was soon launched off of Titan, his back slamming against a tree, causing Adder to yelp as he slid down the trunk.

"Oh that was sloppy" Titan mocked "Was expecting more from you"

Adder quickly got back onto his feet, shook himself down and went after Titan again. He went in swinging, left following after the right, over and over in the hopes one of them would land but Titan had his guard up and delivered a few body shots, causing Adder to buckle over.

"Seriously?" Titan asked with a chuckle "I thought you were a better fighter than this?"

Adder laughed at his comment and as he stood up, he elbowed Titan in the throat, causing the other man to gasp for air, Adder then moved in, swiftly grabbing Titan by the head and hurling him across the floor. It dazed Titan  and as he staggered to get back onto his feet, Adder moved in and kneed him in the face, causing his nose to explode with blood before he was unceremoniously dumped on the ground. Adder wiped a speck of blood off his chin with his thumb and loomed over Titan.

“Hold still while I put you out of your misery” Adder growled, reaching his arm out to summon his scythe.

The scythe flew into his hand, Adder tightened his grip and prepared to swing yet he was interrupted by something heavy striking his shoulder, causing Adder to drop his scythe and Titan to scurry away into the shadows. Adder quickly spun round to see Polar standing in the distance before he too, casually walked into the shadows and disappeared, a twisted chuckle following after him.

"Fuckers!" Adder growled.

Yet as Adder looked down to see what struck him, he made a gruesome discovery. It was a leg, clearly been torn off. Adder gulped hard and looked over to where he saw Polar, noticing a familiar figure standing nearby. Lee; He was on his way towards his master when he heard the whimpering of the boy close by. Adder turned around and slowly approached the bushes where he could hear the boy crying.

“Hey, it’s okay little one…it’s safe now, we scared off the monsters” Adder said softly as he scanned the area, summoning his scythe  once more and making sure the Banished were gone.

“I want my daddy” The small boy cried

Adder looked over at Lee, noticing him crouched over a body that was laid out under a street light. He feared the body was the small boy’s father.

“I know you do kid but your dad has gone to the next world. I’m sorry” He says softly, struggling to break it to the boy.

There was a moment of silence and then he heard the bushes rustle once again as the boy emerged and stood before him, Grey, blue, watery eyes gazing up at him. His cheeks were stained by his tears, hair short, brown and scruffy, clothes slightly torn, dark coloured and padded, indicating that his family were teaching him to be just like them. A hunter.

“Let me say goodbye” The boy pleaded

“I don’t think-”

“Adder” Lee interrupted, the man appearing before him “Let him see his father, he has requested to see his son. He doesn’t have much time left” Lee said softly

“Hold my hand kid” Adder said as he offered the young boy his hand.

The boy grabbed his hand and held it tightly as they began the sombre walk towards his dying father. Lee was already present, holding the man's hand while he fought for every breath. Adder approached him with the young boy, letting go of his hand when he felt him pull away, wanting to hold his father one last time, despite the state that he was in; his clothes were cut to shreds, stained in blood, wounds cut deep, leaking the crimson nectar that pooled around him. The small boy threw his arms around his father and sobbed quietly. Adder and Lee stepped a few paces back to allow them their last moments.

“...Daniel…What I taught you about reapers… forget about it, they are not monsters, they are not evil, they are guides… and they saved you” His father said weakly

“I don’t want to be alone Dad” Daniel sobbed as he clung onto him

“You won’t be… You go round to Joseline’s and you tell her dad, the Woodmen have fallen” his father gasped.

“I love you dad” Daniel sobbed “Please don’t go”

“Stay strong son… Remember what we taught you.” His father said as he gulped hard “...I’ll always be with you”

In the distance Adder picked up on some commotion that was quickly heading their way, he looked at Lee with concern, the man nodding his head in agreement as he looked at Daniel and his father, Daniel’s father looked back at Lee, he understood their urgency to leave quickly and gently brushed Daniel’s hair with his bloodied hand.

“Go with them…Tell them where Joseline lives… trust them to get you there and when you get there… keep living…keep the Woodman legacy going…do you hear me?” He asked Daniel

Daniel nodded his head.

“Go…” He gasped and looked at Adder “Get him out of here…get him to safety”

“Yes sir.” Adder replied

He quickly scooped Daniel up into his arms, his heart sinking when he could hear the boy screeching and trying to reach for his father. Lee hung back and watched as a crowd of fellow hunters marched towards them.

“We will protect him, I promise” Lee assured the man before both he and Adder slipped into the shadows, trying to get as far away as possible but Daniel's screeching had caught the attention of the hunters and a small group of them split and began following Daniel’s noise.

“We need to silence him” Adder said quickly

“I know of a way” Lee replied “It’s not something we should do but if we blindfold him he won’t see it”

“Lee-”

“We have no choice,” Lee replied as he pulled out a piece of silk cloth. “Hunters are merciless and they get worse if a child is involved. I need you to hold still.”

Adder stopped a moment as Lee wrapped the cloth around Daniel’s eyes, just as the small group  started to close in fast; within seconds Daniel’s screeching had stopped and the small group that were quickly descending on Lee and Adder's location, found nothing while the larger group of hunters had come across the grisly scene of the Woodman family.

Corpses laid strewn across the pavement along with discarded limbs and chunks of flesh. Some of the hunters' stomachs were  unable to handle the grisly sight while others needed answers. A tall older gentleman led the way, he wore a black stetson, sported a white beard and wore a black denim jacket and faded blue jeans. He marched his way over to Daniel’s father, the man was barely holding on, his breathing laboured but he still had strength left to turn his head to the man.

“... Jasper” He croaked

“Save your strength Rick.” Jasper said softly as he held the man's hand “Where’s Daniel?”

“...Safe” Rick gasped “Joseline-”

“He’s with Joseline… who did this Rick? What monster did this to your family?”

“...I don’t know…The reapers-” Rick gasped, struggling to get his breath

“The reapers did this?” Jasper asked

“...No…The Reapers…the Reapers-” He gasped again but he was losing the fight, he gripped Jasper's hand as tight as he could before he took his last breath, his hand lost grip and flopped onto the floor. Silence fell over the group of hunters, they had lost one of their own and as a mark of respect, they all bowed their heads and stood in silence before it was broken by Jasper.

As summer of nineteen forty five faded and the autumn gracefully tumbled in, the world was in a strange state. The second world war had finally ended but peace was still a distant dream for many, something Adder had observed while carrying out his duties. Lee’s words ringing in his ears

"Pay attention to the world around you and you will see the hatred I speak of."

Everyday those words came to life and everyday, Adder could do nothing about it except be a sympathetic ear and a soothing voice when helping the soul of the victim pass on. It left a bitter taste in his mouth as the world slowly evolved into a bitter, cruel and twisted place to live in.

Lee was all too aware of this global change and he was concerned of the impact it would have on Adder. He noticed the way Adder's shoulders would slump every time he came back from his duties, the reluctance to speak of his day and the way he would release his anger by using inanimate objects as punching bags. He had been a reaper for two months and already the world was testing him to his limits.

Lee had no choice but to intervene. 

It was the middle of October when Adder had his “Bad day” And when I say bad day I mean BAD. Most of the deaths he had attended were murders that were fueled by racial tensions, he was also attacked by dogs at a scrapyard, which ruined his clothes and to top it all off, the stress of the situation caused him to mess up his fading, and he inadvertently faded into a ladies changing room, was chased out by Nora, who had a mean handbag swing and was then hit by a taxi driver, who didn’t even bother to stop to check on him. It was the day that broke the donkey's back.

Discarded oil barrels had holes punched into them, pallets had been smashed into pieces and thrown across the empty warehouse and Adder was sat in the centre of it all, clothes shredded, hair messed up and hands caked in oil and rust.

“I’m gonna guess you had a bad day today” Came Lee's voice from across the warehouse

Adder lifted his head to see Lee standing in the doorway, the light casting him in shadow as he carefully walked towards him.

“Define bad day” Adder responded

“A day filled with a multitude of bad events, one after another” Lee replied softly

Adder sighed and slowly nodded his head, annoyingly Lee had a knack of knowing when he was troubled and when things were piling onto him.

“Why don’t I make us some tea and we can talk about it?”

"Because tea isn't going to solve everything, "  Adder replied, a bitterness in his voice. 

"It won't  but it'll at least calm you down and make you a little more rational and I'd rather you drink some tea than turn to the alternative. Alcohol and reapers don't mix."

"I'd ask how you would know but I got a feeling you found out yourself" 

"And you'd be correct. Rather than dwell, let's move forward and start talking about why these oil barrels and pallets deserved a beating" 

"Over a cup of tea?" 

"Over a cup of tea. I have a tea for every situation and this one calls for some Matcha tea" Lee said softly, a small smile on his lips as he helped Adder back onto his feet "And while we're at it, a change of clothes would help too" 

For Adder, Lee was like a lion tamer, able to calm the ferocious beast that lurked within him with just a cup of tea and a few good words. He listened as Adder rambled on about his day, how he felt tremendous unjust and sadness for the people who died at the hands of monsters who judged them based on their race, how he felt anger for the way the world around them was changing and the frustration he felt about not being able to do a thing to change it. All things the man had heard and seen before during his tenure as a reaper, sadly it wasn't new to him and he too felt the same exact feelings as Adder. 

Of course it's hard to stand by and do nothing as the world becomes an ugly place to live in but by staying true to yourself and doing the right things, it can be tolerable. Confusing for someone, whose sole purpose was to take life, not make it better. So it’s best explained like this, exactly the way Lee explained it to Adder.

“It’s not all about the big changes, but more of the small changes, like saying hello to a random stranger walking in the street, helping an elder cross the road or offering to carry their shopping or even helping someone who is visibly struggling. Small gestures that are worth their weight in gold”

Small things that lead to big things. Advice that Adder took on board and practised, helping people where he can while carrying out his duties, small gestures like giving food to people who were clearly struggling to get by, helping those who physically struggle to get down steps or walk across the road or just saying hello to a random stranger. Acts that might not seem a lot but mean more than words can express. For Adder, doing these random acts made him feel accomplished, especially after a hard day gathering souls and listening to some tragic endings. It made the world a bit more bearable to live in and as time passed, Adder had developed a small community of people that he frequently helped every day without fail, while on his way to his duties.

A reaper being kind. Bet you never thought you’d hear that in a sentence huh?

Well it happened and Lee couldn’t be happier for his young reaper. He watched him develop and grow into a kind and considerate reaper similar to himself. He was a quick learner, picked up new skills, routines and behaviours within rapid time. He was also a tremendous fighter, learning a mixture of Kenjutsu, Aikido and Bojutsu, martial arts that helped him to use his scythe to defend himself should he need to as well as learning to use body momentum and the art of wrist locks, punching and kicking. Standard stuff you learn when you need to get out of a fight situation.

In all honesty, you’d think this kind of behaviour and approach to the role given to him would have gained him a lot of respect from the other reapers because he was seen as hard working, respectful, knowledgeable and a star pupil. Wrong. He was not seen as any of those, in fact he was seen as quite the opposite. 

So allow me to inform you that firstly, death can get jealous. You hear about some fresh faced buck coming onto the scene and making a shining example of himself, you’re gonna get a little twitchy, you’re gonna want to know what makes this guy so special and you’re gonna want to try and find a weakness too, which leads us nicely onto the second point. 

Mistrust.

A lot of the reapers questioned Adder's motive. They weren’t looking on the positive here they were looking more on the negative, wondering why the man was making rapid strides and causing such a stir within the community. What was it he actually wanted and if the man had an ulterior motive. A lot of the elder reapers gave Adder a wide berth, observing his actions from a distance while quietly questioning Lee's ways, while the others were not so subtle. They would watch him from across the street, taking notes and scrutinising his actions. They would make their assumptions of him, cast their own decisions in silence and leave Adder to continue. He was none the wiser but Lee was fully aware of the silent judgement that they cast over Adder. 

It went on for years, Adder was being watched under a microscope, the man oblivious to it all and Lee wasn’t in a hurry to let on that he knew because he knew it would unsettle Adder and put him on a dark path. He did everything to protect him from the harsh reality of the reapers around him but he knew that one day someone, somewhere would slip.

That day came during the sweltering summer of nineteen seventy seven. New York was a boiling pot in every sense. There was a financial downturn, poverty was on the rise along with inequality levels and paranoia. Oh and there was a blackout which caused mass looting and arson attacks. A summer of chaos and all this depression and unbalance had to go somewhere and that somewhere was Adder. After twenty five hours of being plunged into darkness, New York city was once again back up and running, the usual busy hum continuing as if nothing happened. 

Adder was sat in central park by the Bethesda fountain, enjoying the evening sun and watching people closely while devouring an ice cream. It was the end of his duties and Adder liked nothing more than to come to the park and unwind, especially while the heatwave continued to roast the city. He wore a white tank top and stonewashed blue jeans, his hair shaved at the sides and then pulled into a messy quiff on top and was sporting his standard scruffy goatee

Despite all the chaos that happened the night before, things within the park seemed peaceful,the people around him seemed calm and at ease but that peace and quiet didn’t last long. The moment Adder was on his own and ready to fully appreciate the peace, was when peace was shattered.

“I don’t like the way you’re sitting there pretty boy” Came an angry and orotund voice

Adder turned around to face the grand staircase leading towards the terrace of the Bethesda fountain. A short, yet stocky man came storming towards him, dark mahogany skin that glistened in the sun and dark coarse hair clipped short. His eyes were enraged, slightly murderous and ruby red like Adders. He was a reaper and he was somewhat pissed about something.

“Can I help you?” Adder asked innocently

“Help?! You wanna know if you can help?! Boy you are the reason for all this?” The man shouted, causing Adder to slowly get to his feet,bracing himself. “Ever since your pale ass came on the scene, this world has gone to shit. We’ve been through a couple of wars and now this bullshit, all of which came after you showed up”

“You ever think it might just be poor leadership on the mortal coil and not me?” Adder responded, trying to defend himself

“Nah...I think it’s you. Something ain’t right about you. You picked this gig up too quick, you befriend mortals, assist them every day and have your nose so far up Lee’s ass that you think his shit smells like roses, ain’t nobody act like that unless they want something out of it. So what the fuck is it?!”

“Seriously…..I have no idea what you are on about” Adder growls, keeping his eyes locked on the man, but he can feel another presence coming towards him from the left “You do know if you attack me….you’ll be breaking one of the essential rules of reaping."

"That rule says not to kill another reaper, it doesn't say I can't beat the shit out of you and put you in your place" The man snaps back

Adder smirked as he squared up to the man, towering over him, his eyes drilling into the smaller man's soul, causing him to fidget uncomfortably. 

"Make the first move" Adder growled

He watched as the other man scrunched his nose and attempted to make himself big, his jaw clenched as he readied his fists, Adder noticing his right shoulder drop back, ready to throw a hook. 

"Stand down Puma!" A voice was heard from behind. 

"You gotta be shitting me" The man growled before looking behind him to see Lee standing with his hands behind his back. "I was just saying hello" 

"Hello usually requires a wave or a bow, what I'm seeing here is a man about to cause a fight or…am I reading this wrong Puma?" Lee says calmly. 

“I might have been throwing a handshake”

“Oh? Do all handshakes start with a closed fist?”

Puma, as the man was known, looked up towards the sky in frustration, cheeks puffed out while he bit down on his bottom lip, trying to stifle the flow of cuss words that would usually be flowing freely out of his mouth by now. Of course Adder found this to be amusing but then he saw the look that Lee was giving him.

“Look Lee I was sitting here minding my own business” Adder protested

“Then you should have walked away.” Lee replied calmly as he approached the two men, putting himself between them “It’s taken thirty years but Adder this is Puma, Puma this is Adder, I found him.”

“Where exactly? In a cursed land?” Puma retorted sarcastically

“Nagasaki to be precise, being experimented on and potentially being trained to be a weapon for them. Good job I got to him when I did because you and I both know what happens to reapers who go against everything we stand for don’t we Puma?” Lee hissed as if holding something over Puma “Don’t make me recite that day in front of your unit”

Puma gulped hard as Lee glanced up at the other three Reapers that stood around them, all dressed in Black shirts and black slacks, hanging onto their bosses word

“Alright, leave him alone” Puma ordered and then looked at Lee “He turns, I’m putting him down”

“I won’t give you the chance” Lee growled quietly 

He watched Puma and his unit disperse from the area, all of them walking in separate directions while Adder stood by himself, confused by the exchange, yet annoyed over the fact that he had just been unfairly judged.

“Why did he judge me like that?” Adder asked, his voice laced with anger

“He’s superstitious, he thinks you brought bad luck because you’re the first new reaper we had in a very long while. He has not considered that the world around him has changed and that the mortals are creating their own problems. It’s easier for him to pin the blame on something than admit that things are out of his control” 

“So how many more reapers are like that? How many more are quietly judging me and making their assumptions? How many more think that this is all my fault?”

“Adder-”

“I’m not doing anything wrong Lee! I’m doing my job, I’m being kind and trying to make this world a bit more bearable to live in. It’s not my fault that humanity right now is making poor choices and yet it’s being pinned on me! What do I have to do to convince them that there is NOTHING wrong with me?!”

“You keep doing what you’re doing! You prove them wrong by doing what you do and ignoring their condescending stares and opinions and you don’t allow your temper to rule your head. You’re an exceptional student and one of the best reapers I have worked beside, don’t let this moment get to you”

“Okay but what if something else happens? They’re going to pin that on me, they’re gonna look in our direction and say it’s me”

“And every time they do I will defend you! The only proof they have is coincidence which will not stand. So let me worry about them, you just focus on being a reaper and staying out of trouble. Next time someone like Puma approaches you like that, you walk away and come back to the warehouse. Is that understood?”

“Understood” Adder said quietly

Being honest, it’s not easy being the subject of much scrutiny, knowing your every move is being dissected and analysed. It’s infuriating, annoying, rage inducing and Aggravating. All the words associated with annoyance was exactly what Adder was feeling and it led him to be fidgety, restless and unfocused, unable to find a way to channel his anger healthily. He usually used Barrels and Pallets as punch bags but Lee put an end to that as it often led to Adder’s fists being soaked in blood and shredded to bits. 

Lee tried to get Adder to find other means to vent his anger. He tried meditation but often found that if something distracted Adder, like a noise, the man would end up getting annoyed about that. He tried Art but again Adder got annoyed because he lacked skill and composure. The only thing that seemed to work was baseball. Just going down to a practice pitch and smacking a ball as hard and as far as he could. Doesn't seem that productive in terms of putting his anger to good use but it helped to calm the sea of rage that sloshed around in his mind. 

That evening, after being forced by Lee to sit down and eat a bowl of homemade Ramen, Adder was down one of the practice fields at River park. He had a bag of baseballs that Lee had collected over the years and a bat. It appeared scuffed up, the glossy finish long gone but it did the job it was made to do. 

He took his place at the batter plate, dropped the bag beside him and began his routine of throwing the ball up in the air and striking the ball with precision and timing, hearing the rewarding crack as the ball and bat connected. It was satisfying, rewarding even as he watched the balls scream across the field, landing further and further away from the field.

He managed this for hours, he would empty the bag, collect the balls up again and begin his routine all over again, his muscles and bones could be screaming at him to stop but until his anger was quenched he would go nowhere. He was transfixed and before he knew it, the sun had set and the lights within the park had turned on. His flow was starting to slow down as the raging seas began to calm and the bag was slowly being emptied. Adder took the last three balls that remained and whacked them across the field, sending each ball further than the last, the last one taking out a light beyond the field, causing Adder to groan and roll his eyes. 

"Better leave an IOU note" He muttered as he gathered up the bag and threw it over his shoulder. 

He then began gathering up the balls, scuttling around the edge of the baseball field, picking up a few there along with some that he felt had been left behind from a team practice, they were marked with a team logo and Adder thought they would make a nice addition to the collection Lee had built up. He then went further beyond the field, where the light could just about reach, he could see a few lingering on the edge, their white hue just about visible. Once he collected them, he looked over at the broken light and sighed.

“Lee’s gonna kill me when he finds out” He muttered 

He trudged his way over, holding the bat in one hand while he had the bag of balls slung over the other shoulder. He could see the culprit ball was layng just off to the side of the lamp post, barely visible. Adder carefully placed the bag on the floor and bent down to pick up the ball but as his hand grasped it, the city was suddenly plunged into darkness. 

"What the fuck?" Adder muttered 

He stood up and looked across the river, Manhattan was pitch black, the only light was that of people driving through the city and of the moon reflecting off the Hudson. He knew the power system in New York was atrocious but it surely couldn’t have collapsed again. He then felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end as a chill ran the length of his spine, someone or something was standing directly behind him. Adder’s grip tightened around the bat as he slowly turned round and came face to face with the source of his discomfort. There, right before him was a pair of white glowing soulless eyes staring back at him, they had no pupils, no Irises or anything that distinguished them as human, just an unsettling vacant stare that made your blood run cold.

“Boo!” Came a low booming voice.

Before Adder could react, his body was lifted off the ground and hurled across the field, his body slamming into the batting fence. Adder quickly got to his feet and gathered up the bat in his right hand, watching as it transitioned into his scythe, he then noticed the white eyes again, standing in the same exact place. Adder growled and began his march towards them, hand grasping his scythe tightly as he began to formulate a plan in his head but he wasn’t allowed time to think or plan, the eyes had moved again and before he knew it, he was eating dirt again, his legs swept from under him and a heavy boot had been slammed onto his back, forcing him to stay down.

“If I were you I’d stay there” Came the voice, eerily calm yet menacing

“I’ll take my chances” Adder growled

He faded out from under the creature and reappeared behind them, preparing to take a swing with his scythe but his actions were swiftly met with a heavy hit across the jaw, his mind scrambled as his body staggered away.

“I thought there was more fight in you” Said the creature “You’re full of spunk, yet you have the reaction time of a newborn. No matter, It’ll be over soon, I’ll end your misery painlessly” 

As Adder regained his composure and his balance, the creature was quickly in his face again, he could just about make out a twisted smile forming on it’s lips, it’s teeth catching the moonlight before Adder felt rough, calloused skin wrap around his throat, fingers digging into his neck as a paw like hand began to squeeze his windpipe.

“Let’s see if you can float” The creature growled

In the blink of an eye, Adder’s head was now forced underwater, the hand around his throat tightening, squeezing the air out of him while he thrashed around, fighting to get the hand off, his screams drowned out and being turned into gurgles and bubbles as his heart started to pound harder, almost bursting out of his chest as he struggled and fought to try and get some air back into his body but as his body grew tired and the fight was beginning to elude him, he could feel something within him stir, not an emotion, not a thought or a feeling, this was the beast, the monster that tore those soldiers limb from limb and it had been rudely awoken from its slumber. He was losing control, his vision was starting to blur, strength was rapidly starting to return to his body and as he weakly placed his hand on the one squeezing his throat a roar started to rise from his throat.

It was coming, it almost had total control before the power flicked back on again and the creature holding him dispersed like water vapour. Adder scrambled to the surface and once he broke the surface of the water he took a deep, loud inhalation of breath, his body craving for the oxygen it was starved of. His throat felt bruised and sore but within a minute the pain had subsided and his body had seemingly recovered from its ordeal. Adder then looked around to figure out where he was, he noted that the bridge was now above him and the park was now to his left, thankfully he wasn’t too far from the banks of the Hudson and he slowly started to wade through the water in order to get to dry land. Thankfully the park was empty by the time Adder had hauled himself out of the water, he laid on the sidewalk for a moment as he tried to process his thoughts.

The white eyes, the strength and speed all indicated that he had just had himself a run in with one of the banished and the thought made the colour drain from his skin. They weren’t a mistake, they weren’t a story told to upset the new reapers, they were real and they were just as scary as the sketch in the book.

His mind went into overdrive, trying to figure out what this one Banished wanted, was it a message it was trying to send? How did it seem to know what he was? how it was able to completely overpower him and read his attacks? It frightened Adder to know that there was an enemy that was strong, lurking in the darkness but what scared him more was what was lurking within him.

The beast, the side of him that emerged when all seemed lost, the personification of his rage and the total lack of control he has over it. Had the power not returned, it would have emerged, taken control and got itself embroiled in a heated battle that would only end the moment one of their lives was extinguished and Adder had an unsettling feeling in his stomach, that whatever the beast was, it would be too strong for even the strongest enemy and if he can’t learn to bring it under control, there was a high possibility that this beast would be too strong for the reapers.

Concerned, Adder returned back to the warehouse, his clothes soaking wet. The squelch of his shoes grabbed Lee’s attention and the man emerged from the kitchen, a smile on his face as he dried down a plate with his cloth.

“I didn’t expect you to go swimming after them” Lee said with a chuckle

But then he saw the look in Adder's eye, the look that told him something bad had happened to him, something that he was struggling to process.

“Adder, what’s wrong?” Lee said carefully

“I encountered them…..the Banished…” He began “I was playing baseball in the fields ... .the power went out as I was picking up the balls, the next thing I know, one was standing behind me. Their cold white eyes drilling into my soul, I was frozen in fear Lee, he knew when I was about to attack, he knew my blindspots, my weak spots, he knew everything about me-”

“What did he want?!” Lee asks sternly as he threw the cloth over his shoulder

“I don’t know Lee but he knew I was a new Reaper” Adder replied, panic entering his voice.

“Toying with you then, no verbal message?” Lee Asked

“No”

“Because he didn’t need to, he was toying with you in the same way a cat would toy with a mouse. A warning, a very loud warning that they are back, I’ll have to up your training and warn the others”

“Lee-”

“You’re clearly not fast enough Adder, we need to up the intensity and ensure you can get out of a situation-”

Now it's not necessarily a bad thing that Adder has a monstrous side to him that can over power the Banished and send them packing. However that monster is unchained, there is no way of controlling it once it rears its head. A reaper with one hell of a dark side doesn't exactly sit well, knowing that something that strong and with no control can easily overthrow the delicate balance of life and death. 

The question though, was did the Banished know of this inner monster? Did they know that Adder had this darkness that could be sprung at any moment if the right buttons were pressed? If so, how? Cue a panic stricken Lee, not only did they now face the possibility of The Banished causing trouble and running them ragged but now he faced the possibility of them trying to convert his young apprentice to fight for them. 

"If any of the banished know about this monster within they'll do everything in their power to control you and it'll be the end of you" Lee warns

"I know…. But how do we control it? Soon as it takes over, that's it, I black out and there is nothing I can do"

"Then we need to find a way to snap you out of it, why didn't it take over fully when the Banished attacked you?" 

"Because the lights came on and they dispersed" 

"So danger was no longer present. It seems this monster of yours ignites when your life is in danger, similarly to the last stand, only you have no control, once unleashed it will go on its rampage till its rage has been quenched. Fascinating." 

"Why fascinating?" Adder asked confused 

"Because you possess the strength and blinding rage of our fiercest enemy, yet it acts similarly to the last stand, emerges when you are in danger, like a guardian, only it doesn't know who is friend and who is foe…" 

"So what? Do we teach it?" 

"Exactly!" Lee says excitedly 

"How?!" 

"Ever hear of those stories where miners sent canaries down a mine shaft to see if it's safe? Well, think of it like that" 

"You're going to deliberately put my life in danger to piss it off?! Lee your nuts!" 

"Am I? Think about it Adder, we can stop whatever plan the Banished have before it gets off the ground, we can be the thorn in their side!"

"So let me guess, in order for this to work, I got to lure them out?" 

"Yes. They seem fixated on you for some reason, we may as well use it to our advantage. They like the darkness, so their nests will be in places where the light never touches… Fancy a trip on the subway?" 

You could understand Adder's reluctance in exploring the vast underground network of tunnels. Not only was it dangerous but it was dirty and infested with rats. Many murders were committed on those underground platforms in the dead of night, drug dealers flourished and bag snatching seemed to be an increasing trend amongst the many crimes that occurred. So yes, this young reaper wasn't exactly jumping for joy at the suggestion but nonetheless he would follow his master blindly into the bubbling cesspit of the qqManhattan subways. 

Before we do, let's have a brief run down on the infamous Banished. Reapers that had been drawn to the darkness, became power hungry and unruly. Damned creatures or "Mistakes"as Lee would call them. They equal a reaper in virtually everything and yes, they can even choose who they can have as one of them, no reaper knows how they do it and no right minded reaper wants to know how they do it either. 

No one knows how long they have been around but it has been believed that their first appearance came during the first Great War, born from a reaper that had seen enough and took matters into their own hands, they took a side and began to wield their anger and hatred upon the battlefield. It dodged and evaded all the capture attempts thrown at it by the reapers and escaped with its life; the consequences of that was, that there was a new threat to the balance. 

Annoyingly, they also have a bad habit of disappearing and staying quiet until the right time. Always lurking in the shadows, quietly building nests under the reapers noses and striking when the balance is at a critical tipping point. They have a twisted sense, a knowing when something big on the mortal coil is about to happen, an ability to twist it to their advantage and bring the reapers to their knees and everytime the reapers get the upper hand, they disperse, slip away to lick their wounds and gather numbers. So for them to appear again, means something big is looming on the horizon. 

So now that we have introduced the twisted reapers, we should really talk about their Head honcho, the original gangster or for those not down with the kids, the one that birthed the Banished; He was given the name “Polar” a name that suits him down to the bone, for one he has short snowy white hair and a white goatee, he has a deep scar across his left eye and He’s also tall, at least over six foot in height, stocky frame and is in no means slow. He has been described as clinical, strategic and efficient by those who have had the pleasure of meeting him and have barely escaped with their lives, usually at the cost of another life being sacrificed.

He is the monster that sends a shiver down your spine, who’s name conjures up nightmares of a demon with burning white eyes that lurks in the darkest corners of the globe and one that even reapers fear and yet Lee and Adder were on a mission to wake him from his slumber. 

Their first port of call was the busiest subway station of all of Manhattan, forty second Street, Penn Station, a hot spot for crime that attracted many savoury characters, ranging from drug dealers to murderers, most of them lurking in the block long corridor between 7th and 8th avenue, perfect recruits for the Banisheds army. of course the best time to go was in the dead of night, when the monsters could go to work undisturbed. 

Adder had changed into clean clothes at this point, a black tank top and Olive drab shorts, he still carried his scythe that was disguised as a plain, well used baseball bat, where as Lee wore a red light jacket, a white tee and black jeans and was walking with his scythe disguised as a walking cane, a beautifully decorated oriental caine that had a golden dragon for the handle. 

"So explain to me how this is gonna work," Adder asked as they began their trek along the corridor. "Cause it sounds like we're just going to ride the subway lines of New York" 

"The A line has a long section that runs underneath the Hudson, there are no stops and it is the perfect place for monsters like the Banished to lurk. So yes, we are going to be taking a train that goes along that section in the hopes they are hungry enough to attack. Chances are slim considering the feast they had during the blackout but we can only try." Lee replied as he eyed up a small gang hiding in the shadows. 

"Define feast" Adder asked 

"They feed on fear and chaos, they take souls not determined by the list and consume them, which gives them what they crave most, power." 

"Delightful. We're going to die" 

"We won't. I trust you… just not sure if I can trust the other you."

"Hey we're here because you want to wake the monster up in order to pin back the other monsters we dread the most and you're telling me now, You're not sure you can trust it? Filling me with confidence Lee!" 

"I know! This is going to be fun" 

Adder wasn't sure if Lee knew the meaning of fun. Fun was doing something that made you feel good and feel happy. Fun gives happy chemicals to the brain, gives an endorphin rush that lasts for hours. Fun doesn't scare the shit out of you or make you wary of the darkness, fun also doesn't put your life in danger, although that can give a similar effect. 

A train approached the platform, its carriages was covered in graffiti, its windows cracked and dirty with soot and it was empty. It was ideal for the task at hand but Adder couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that had made itself at home at the pit of his stomach, a nagging feeling that something would go wrong, that the monster inside him might not want to go back on the leash and that his time as a reaper would be short lived. 

Both men took their seats on the train, both of them taking note of the small gang that had followed them onto the train and were sitting in the next carriage, there was six of them, they all had hoods covering their faces and all of them seemed to avoid eye contact, opting to stare at the floor. To Lee, they were possibly what they were looking for, hungry Banished that would feast on anything, endangering themselves for a snack. They would be weak but their hunger would make them dangerous, and challenging, the perfect test. 

The train pulled itself along the tracks, slowly to begin with before gathering speed, zipping past empty stations that were not designated to its route. It then slowed down as it approached the Chamber Street station, the last stop before crossing the Hudson into Brooklyn. No one got off and no one got on, Lee checked on the group in the next carriage and had noted that one member was nervously shaking his leg and wringing his hands while the others had their hands thrusted in their pockets. The train began its journey once more, entering the long dark tunnel beneath the river, the lights flickering throughout the carriages, sparks pinging from the tracks as it gathered pace. Adder was becoming increasingly uncomfortable as the lights flickering off and on became more frequent and prolonged. Then suddenly the carriage juddered to a halt, a low hum from the lines broke the silence, briefly before they were then plunged into darkness. 

"I don't like this" Adder whispered 

"Sometimes Fear is what drives us to fight, don't fear it, embrace it." Lee replied 

"Hard when I can't see Jack shit!" 

"Give it a minute, you're about to learn a new trick us reapers have" 

"If it's the ability to see in the dark, it didn't work when I was being drowned" 

"Well you was fighting for your life, you probably didn't notice it but it should be working now, your eyes are like mine" 

"What do you mean-" Adder muttered before he quickly looked towards the direction of Lee's voice and saw his eyes glowing an Icy blue hue and in turn the darkness slowly eased back and Adder could begin to make out what was around him, how close Lee was, what he was holding and where he was ".... Oh there it is" 

"Welcome to the club, now I wonder where our friends are" Lee responded

Adder Rose to his feet and held the bat tightly, he looked over to the carriage where they last saw the group and noticed that they had now vanished. 

"Guess our friends couldn't wait" Adder said softly

"I sensed that and I can also sense that they are prowling on the roof, hoping to catch us off guard" 

"Let me guess they can see in the dark too?" Adder asked 

"Of course and as you know they can fade too" 

"And possibly hungry, two against six, not liking our odds here Lee" 

"Have faith, Adder. You got me" 

"Oh because you'll make all the difference" 

Lee just burst out laughing, part of him enjoying the thrill of the hunt, the other half craving some form of vengeance.

As the silence settled, the tension rose. Both Adder and Lee were on high alert, their weapons primed in their hands, their ears tuned in for the slightest sound, eyes vigilant, watching out for the tell-tale black vapour trail that the Banished create when they fade in from place to place. The slightest breath of air was all it took, as soon as Lee heard it his caine quickly transformed into his scythe, he quickly spun himself around and came face to face with two piercing white eyes staring back at him. A millisecond was all it took for the other five to appear before them, each one strategically positioned within the carriage, hoping to overpower Lee and Adder. 

It was a second. A second that felt like an hour, no one moved, flinched or even blinked before it descended into chaos, the Banished launching themselves onto Lee and Adder like a pack of hungry wolves desperate for a morsal of food, they were reckless and unorganised, their attacks wild, yet they were still able to catch the reapers off guard, landing a few hits that caused Lee and Adder to stumble or mistime their strikes. They were ferocious, frantic and desperate both an advantage and a weakness. Lee knew at some point they would falter, a lapse in judgement was all it would take for him to open the taps and unleash fury upon them but it would take patience, something he knew Adder was lacking in. 

"They are like mosquitoes!" Adder growled as he hurled yet another off him "They don't know when to give up!" 

"So swat them" Lee said calmly 

"Swat them?" 

"Yes. Watch me" Lee replied with a dark look in his eye. 

Remember how I said it would take a lapse in judgement for Lee to unleash hell? Well a lapse in judgement presented itself quite nicely, one of the Banished minions misjudged his run, came at Lee full speed before losing his head in a fatal clothesline with the scythe. You'd think they would leave a body but nope, they disintegrated into a fine black powder that swirled in the slipstream momentarily before another Banished took their place. 

"Decapitation. Got it!" Adder growled as two of them circled him, like Sharks that could smell blood, both of them hissing and gnashing their teeth before they pounced on him, one of them leapt on his back,covering his eyes and laughing like a hyena while the other taunted Adder, mocked him and watched as Adder flailed his arms around, trying to get the other off of him.

Of course, Adder panicked momentarily, his instincts naturally wanted to run but then the reaper in him suddenly woke up and took over. He stopped himself dead in the middle of the carriage, took a breath and then smirked.

“Fade” He said calmly

The party trick of all party tricks, disappearing into thin air to escape your guests, or in this case unwanted guests. The one that gripped his back like a vice was now on the floor in a heap, his friend confused as he scanned the carriage, spinning round quickly in case Adder was behind him but only finding his friend on the floor and the others battling against Lee. 

"Pussy" He snarled, thinking Adder had ran from the fight. 

He reached down to help his friend up onto his feet but as he did he felt a sharp tap on his right shoulder, like a bird's talon gauging the skin. Slowly he turned round to face his fate, the last thing his eyes laid upon was a glint of light coming off the blade that quickly swung towards him, cleanly taking the head from off his shoulders, causing his body to turn into soot. 

"Heads up" Adder mocked 

"Bastard!" The other Banished screamed

"I've heard worse" Adder snarled as he menacingly strode over to the Banished creature that was desperately scrambling to get to their feet. 

"More will come, they will come and unbalance this world and Polar will rule." He hissed 

"Yeah? They gotta get through me first" Adder retorted. 

The creature managed to get to his feet, his body coiled ready to lunge at Adder but Adder had read his movements and as the creature threw himself at Adder, the man had already moved out of the way and had plunged his Scythe into the creature's stomach. In one swift movement, Adder pulled the scythe over his head, cutting the creature in half before the mangled body disintegrated into soot once more. 

"Well you certainly made light work of those two" Lee said as he dusted off the sooty remains of the Banished he had fought

"I'm sensing a but Lee" 

"But I'm afraid we have more company, seems we stumbled onto a minor nest" Lee said calmly

"And you know how?" 

"Look out the window behind you" 

Adder turned round to look at the next carriage and what he saw was a scene out of a nightmare, a carriage plunged in darkness and all that was looking back at him was hundreds of white eyes, hungry white eyes that were scrambling to get at him and it was the same at Lee's end. They were surrounded, the odds stacked against them. 

"You know we could just fade out" Adder suggested 

"Doing that will only put mortal lives in danger. We have to take them down or unbalance the delicate balance" Lee warned as he prepared himself "Time to get angry Adder" 

Adder gulped hard, this was the first time he had faced a horde of the hungry and starved Banished, the version that Lee classed as easy pickings due to their fragility and yet were regarded with as much caution as those who were in some regards healthy. 

There was no time to think, the door burst open as the Banished spilled in, clambering over one another to get to Lee and Adder. They were swamped, unable to swing their scythes as they started to become trapped under a sea of gnashing teeth and white piercing eyes. Adder was trying to fight his way out but they were strong, grabbing his limbs and holding him in place. His heart raced, panic started to set in as he could hear those around him laughing, fingers clawing at his flesh. 

It was enough to trigger what lurked within, the monster that knew no control. Adder's eyes changed, the white, now black like the abyss, the red irises glowing like the fires of hell. One look was all it took to unsettle the Banished. 

"It's him" One of them whispered 

He turned to alert the others but Adder had managed to break free of their hold and now had his hand wrapped firmly around their neck. 

"Squeal" He growled, his voice deeper than normal as he tightened his grip. 

Yet as they went to scream, Adder crushed their windpipe, snapping their neck with one hand and watching their lifeless body crumble into ash.

That was the moment, the moment they all descended on him, hoping to take down the Reaper with an uncontrollable rage, but this reaper was relentless, savage In the way he made light work of the attack. He tore limbs from bodies, snapped necks with one hand, stomped skulls and gouged out eyes. He was a monster, a monster feared by other monsters. Ash was tossed and thrown all over the carriage, screams were nullified quickly.

Silence descended over the carriage. The horde of starving soul suckers were quickly dealt with, light work for the beast within but the challenge now, was to get it back in the cage it emerged from and Lee knew that was not going to be easy. He watched as it paused for breath before quickly snapping his head to look in Lee’s direction, its red eyes burning through the darkness. Lee took a sharp gasp of air, hand gripping around his scythe tightly as he held its gaze.

“I’m not here to hurt you,” Lee said calmly, trying to disguise the fear in his voice. “I was fighting alongside you”

“I didn’t need help” The beast growled as he began his slow march towards Lee, Scythe held menacingly in his hands.

“I know but it’s me Adder, it’s Lee”

“Adder can’t hear you” He snarled

The last thing Lee needed was for the beast to fade out, but it did and not knowing its next move, put Lee on edge. He stood quietly, his senses on alert as he listened for any sound that would indicate his movements, a breath, a swish of air, anything that would give him away but there was nothing and then that nothing turned into something; the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, a chill rushed down his spine and a sharp breath escaped his lungs.

He was here.

He had to act quickly, the minute he turned around, the beast was on him and Lee had only just managed to duck a grasping hand before another one swung in and connected with his jaw. Lee crashed to the floor but he had no time to recover as a boot soon loomed over his head. He quickly rolled out of the way as the boot came thundering down. It was relentless, scarily fast and hellbent on revenge and Lee was struggling to keep up.

He dodged every swing, every kick, every attack launched upon him but he was tiring and the beast wasn't even slowing down. He tried pleading to his humanity, tried getting through to Adder but nothing was working, the beast was in control and it didn't seem to be giving up its position anytime soon.

A lapse in judgement on Lee's behalf was enough to let it in. Struck across the head with the butt of the scythe, Lee toppled to the floor, unable to find the strength to pick himself up again, his impending doom lurking over him.

"Worthy opponent" The beast muttered 

"I should hope so, I taught you" Lee said with a slight chuckle as he slowly rolled onto his back, looking up at the beast "And deep down you know that too"

"Shut up!" The beast growled as he placed his foot on Lee's chest, pinning him to the floor.

"Before you swing, know this. When I took you in, I saw you as a lost  scared little boy needing guidance but over time…you became like a son to me Kasan-ki" Lee said softly, waiting for his end.

Yet it didn't come. The scythe was dropped and the foot was hastily removed from Lee's chest.

"The fuck have I done?!" Came the voice of a horrified Adder.

"Adder it's okay" Lee said gently as he pushed himself up onto his elbows, "You're back…took some work but I got you back" Lee said with a smile.

It's no secret that Adder hated that monster within him, the two occasions it surfaced left him shaken and scared or "Out of sorts" Lee would often say. Mind you it must be scary for anyone who blacks out and then wakes up with their hands soaked in blood, not knowing what the hell happened or what triggered it.

It wasn't something you could just run from, it was there, in the darkest depths of his mind, waiting for the right moment to pounce and enjoy its freedom before relinquishing control, usually after it's done causing a blood bath. Yet, Lee somehow managed to get beyond the monster and through to Adder, grabbing him and pulling him back into reality. Lee knew that this wouldn’t be the last time he’d see the monster and he knew that their foes would do everything in their power to spring the trap and unleash the beast.

“Did I break the code? Did I kill anyone?” Adder asks as he drops to his knees, the adrenaline seeping out of his body “You’d put me down if I do right?”

“All you killed, were the banished and you certainly made light work of them, however, they know about the beast and if that bastard Polar is back, then he’s going to work on a plan to get you to join their side” Lee said as he got to his feet and walked over to Adder “Good news is, I may have found a way to snap you out of its hold, well two ways at least”

“....There are two ways?” Adder asked as he looked up at Lee

“The first way, isn’t exactly pleasant and it’s more dangerous” Lee replied as he held a hand out for Adder, helping him back onto his feet “I have to get close, close enough to bang your ears and cause a ringing. It disorientates it, startles it even, which causes it to retreat. The only problem is, it hurts you too”

"And the second way?" Adder asked

"I used the Japanese word for Adder, Kasan-ki and that somehow released its hold over you" Lee replied as he studied Adder, checking him over for any injuries "Of course….if those two fail, there is a third way"

"Yeah. I can kinda guess what that is." Adder said softly

"So let's work on the two that do work. If we can control the beast within, then we have a chance of pushing back the banished, we will never be clear of them but we can at least weaken their numbers" Lee said with a smile on his lips.